LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departments: Trade Unions

Theresa May: To ask the Leader of the House how many meetings  (a) he and  (b) his deputy held with trade union representatives in 2006.

Jack Straw: Six.

WALES

Business Regulations

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he next expects to meet representatives of business organisations to discuss the impact of central Government regulations on Welsh businesses.

Peter Hain: I have regular meetings with representatives of the business community to discuss issues that concern them.

Economic Activity

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Minister on levels of economic activity in Wales.

Peter Hain: I have regular discussions with the First Minister on a range of issues, including economic activity levels in Wales.
	There are currently 1.426 million economically active people in Wales, with employment at a record high.

Manufacturing Exports

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last met the First Minister to discuss manufacturing exports from Wales.

Peter Hain: I meet regularly with the First Minister to discuss a range of issues, including exports and the manufacturing sector in Wales.

Prisons: Doctors

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many prison doctors are employed full-time in Wales.

Peter Hain: No prison doctor is currently employed in Wales. One doctor is employed part-time by the Prison Service, and the remainder are employed on a sessional basis by various contracted GP service providers. Together they provide a total of 37 sessions per week across the four prisons.

TRANSPORT

Departments: Work Permits

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many work permits were applied for by his Department and its agencies in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The number of work permits applied for over the past five years by the Department and its agencies on behalf of permanent staff was:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2002 4 
			 2003 6 
			 2004 4 
			 2005 6 
			 2006 2

Driving Offences

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of his joint letter with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to Chief Constables in England and Wales in early 2007 outlining the Government's position on enforcement levels of criminal motoring offences.

Stephen Ladyman: Yes.

M1: Tinsley

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whom he would expect to consult before agreeing to a request to close the M1 at Tinsley in order to facilitate the demolition of the cooling towers; and how much notice he would give the public of any such closure.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency would consult with the police, Sheffield city council and Rotherham metropolitan borough council, once details have been finalised, before agreeing a request to close the M1 at Tinsley in order to facilitate the demolition of the cooling towers.

M1: Tinsley

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on which days it would be possible to close the M1 at Tinsley to facilitate the demolition of the cooling towers; and for how long such a closure would be in place.

Stephen Ladyman: It is likely that if demolition of the cooling towers at Tinsley were to go ahead the M1 will be closed from 9 pm on a Saturday through to 6 am on a Monday, or until such time as it is safe to reopen the motorway.

M1: Tinsley

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the length of time the M1 at Tinsley will need to be closed in order to allow the demolition of the cooling towers; and what assessment he has made of the likely effect on traffic.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency is currently assessing for how long the M1 at Tinsley would need to be closed, and the impact on traffic.

M1: Tinsley

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received any requests to close the M1 at Tinsley for the purpose of demolishing the cooling towers; and whether any such closure is planned.

Stephen Ladyman: No formal requests to close the M1 at Tinsley have been received for the purpose of demolishing the cooling towers. However, on safety grounds the Highways Agency would close the M1 should the demolition go ahead.

M1: Tinsley

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the cost of closing the M1 at Tinsley to facilitate the demolition of the cooling towers.

Stephen Ladyman: The cost of closing the M1 at Tinsley to facilitate the demolition of the cooling towers cannot be estimated until details have been finalised.

Railways: Brighton

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what work has been undertaken to enhance capacity on the London to Brighton line since 1997.

Tom Harris: Since 1997 the measure to address capacity issues on the Brighton Main Line has been to introduce new rolling stock for the Southern franchise. The old slam door fleet has been fully replaced, with 24 per cent. extra trains in total, with each new train having more capacity than the train it replaced.
	The next phase of capacity enhancement will be implemented as the Brighton Main Line Rail Utilisation Strategy (BML RUS). The BML RUS will make better use of the existing capacity on the Brighton Main Line. After this the next measure would be the Thameslink programme that will be decided on as part of the comprehensive spending review this year
	The High Level Output Statement (HLOS), again due to be published this year, will set out the best long-term plan to accommodate the growth on this route beyond the steps already taken and the plans already in place.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether there is a backlog of maintenance for local roads.

Gillian Merron: Local authorities are responsible for the maintenance of their highways networks. Each local authority decides on appropriate service levels and standards for their own highways and what maintenance is required. The Department does not collect information centrally on the amount of work that authorities consider to be outstanding.
	The Department has encouraged all local highway authorities to produce asset management plans for their roads. These bring together inventory and conditions information which, together with target condition based upon desired service levels, will inform calculations of maintenance need. We are also working with local authorities to identify best practice in highways asset management with a view to publishing best practice guidance. This will build on the UK Roads Liaison Group's three codes of practice covering street lighting, highways and bridges, published in November 2004, July 2005 and September 2005 respectively, which provide advice on efficient and effective management of the network.

Speed Limits: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fixed speed cameras are located in Gloucestershire, broken down by site and district council area.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department does not hold this information by district council area. The information is held for the area covered by the Gloucestershire Safety Camera Partnership and the site details are shown in the following list.
	 Site name:
	A4019/Tewkesbury Road (St. Peters)
	A419/Cainscross Road/(Lodgemore Lane)
	A419/Cainscross Road/(Marling School)
	A48/Highbank
	A48/Walmore Hill
	A48/Chaxhill
	A48/Minsterworth School
	A48/Alvington
	A40Huntley
	A40/Birdwood
	A4302/Metz Way
	A38/Norton
	A40/Northleach
	A4309/Bristol Road/Morelands
	A4309/Bristol Road/Permali
	A38/Finlay Road
	A38/Eastern Avenue/Ambulance Station
	A38/Eastern Avenue/TA Centre
	A38/Whitminster
	A38/Cambridge
	A48/Woolaston
	B4063/London Road
	A40/Dowdeswell
	A429/Foss Cross
	A429/Slaughter Pike
	A4135/Dursley

Transport: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what transport improvements for which his Department is responsible there have been in Tamworth constituency in the last 12 months; and what improvements are planned.

Gillian Merron: The Department allocated £24.049 million of capital resources to Staffordshire county council for 2006-07 through the local transport block funding for integrated transport and maintenance.
	Staffordshire's delivery of their first local transport plan period was excellent and their plan for the second local transport period to 2011 has been assessed as 'good'. We have already committed a further £40.86 million in support for capital investment in the plan, and further allocations for highway maintenance will be announced in December.
	On the railways, investment of over £8 billion has gone into the West Coast Main Line. From December 2008 Tamworth will benefit in having a regular hourly service throughout the day to and from London and Crewe plus fast morning and evening business services to and from London.
	Tamworth has also benefited from the A5 Weeford to Fazeley improvement which was completed in October 2005.

West Coast Main Line

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects longer Pendolino trains to be operating on the West Coast Main Line.

Tom Harris: Negotiations continue to take place with Virgin Trains and their partners over the provision of additional cars for the Pendolino trains. I cannot give any specific time scales at this stage.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Democratic Republic of Congo

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian needs of the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Compared to the situation this time last year, there has been some small improvement in the humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): the overall numbers of new displacements per month has reduced slightly; the total number of displaced persons is now estimated by the UN Organisation for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) to be about 1 million; there has been a continuing flow of Congolese refugees returning from neighbouring countries with about 405,000 remaining outside the country and there has been a considerable reduction in the recruitment of child soldiers.
	However, there remains considerable cause for concern. The Congolese army continues to steal from and harass the population. This has been exacerbated where attempts to carry out a mixing process between the army and remaining militia groups has increased ethnic tensions in certain areas and has led to large numbers of people being displaced. In the Kivus, the population also continue to be harassed by the foreign armed group the FDLR (Democratic Front for the Liberation of Rwanda). Throughout the region sexual violence remains unacceptably high and outbreaks of disease such as cholera, meningitis and plague add to the suffering of the population. For those areas where greater stability means that people can return home, they need help with the basics such as health care, clean water and assistance to restart farming. This is also true for many areas throughout the country where infrastructure and services have been destroyed or neglected.
	The DRC Humanitarian Action Plan, developed by the humanitarian community in DRC, estimates the total need for 2007 to be US $687 million. This includes interventions to save lives and to help people return home or to have access to basic services when there is no other support. DFID expects to spend about £35 million on humanitarian aid for DRC in 2007. This will include a contribution of £30 million to the DRC Humanitarian Pooled Fund (in support of the Humanitarian Action Plan). The first £15 million for the pooled fund has already been transferred, as has £2 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross for their annual appeal for DRC.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) bilateral and  (b) multilateral aid initiatives the UK is undertaking in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Hilary Benn: The UK had £67 million development assistance available to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in financial year 2006-07. Approximately half of these funds have been spent on emergency humanitarian support through the UN and non-governmental organisations, with the remainder on supporting the 2006 electoral process, improving transport links to some isolated areas, supporting police and justice reform, supplying anti-malarial bednets and basic health, education, water and sanitation services and tackling HIV/AIDS. Additionally, through the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool, we are supporting the EU mission advising on reform of the army; the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of militia groups; and the provision of tents, water and sanitation and human rights training to soldiers in the new integrated brigades (and their families and local communities) to try to stop them preying on civilian populations to make ends meet.
	Available funds are set to increase if the country continues to make progress. We are currently finalising our post-elections strategy for the DRC. We are doing this under the umbrella of the Common Assistance Framework—a joint strategy with all DRC's other major donors. This will help ensure that donor support to the DRC is co-ordinated and so more effective. All of our programmes are developed in consultation with other donors—such as the World Bank, UN, European Commission, the United States, Belgium and Sweden, and many will be jointly implemented. For example, the programme we are developing on road rehabilitation will be implemented through the World Bank, and also financed by the European Commission. Our humanitarian support to those most in need is implemented by the UN and non-governmental organisation and funded by several donors through a "pooled fund" mechanism which allows DRC's humanitarian co-ordinator to deploy funds quickly and flexibly to wherever the need is greatest.
	Under out post-elections strategy our planned portfolio will focus on:
	1. Building an effective and accountable state—including reform of the police, army and justice sector.
	2. Enabling democratisation and accountability.
	3. Supporting the provision of basic services—health, education and infrastructure—to the population and tackling HIV/AIDS.
	4. Enabling growth by rebuilding roads and promoting better management of the DRC's natural resources.
	5. Providing immediate humanitarian assistance to those in desperate need of assistance.

Developing Countries: Debts

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what total  (a) value and  (b) proportion of debts belonging to heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) is owned by commercial creditors; and how much debt relief has been provided by commercial creditors under the HIPC initiative.

Hilary Benn: The World Bank and IMF estimate that approximately 5 per cent. of the total outstanding debt of all HIPC countries (US$63.2 billion in Net Present Value terms) was owed to commercial creditors.
	Countries that receive debt relief from multilateral organisations and bilateral (Government) creditors are required to negotiate equivalent debt relief from other creditors, including commercial banks and companies. Many commercial banks are part of the 'London Club' and offer debt relief under the HIPC framework. However, a survey of 24 HIPCs in 2006 led the IMF and World Bank to estimate that only a limited number of commercial creditors (holding approximately 5.5 per cent. of the total commercial debts) have provided their share of HIPC debt relief directly.
	Many of the remaining commercial creditors have agreed to around 90 per cent. debt reduction as part of operations managed by the World Bank under their Debt Reduction Facility (DRF), the remaining 10 per cent. of the debt is paid for by the World Bank and donors with some contribution from HIPCs towards the costs. By mid-2006, over $4.5 billion worth of commercial debt owed by HIPCs had been eliminated in this way.
	However, some of the remaining commercial debt is bought by vulture funds. These companies wait until a country's circumstances have improved (for example after debt relief) and then press their case through the courts, seeking large settlements. We are working bilaterally and multilaterally with HIPC Governments to raise awareness of this issue and encourage preventative action. DFID is co-funding a Debt Management Capacity Building programme and supports a wide range of other activities to strengthen public financial management and accountability. DFID also supports the World Bank's DRF, and we have recently agreed to provide a contribution of $3.5 million to a package that will help Nicaragua buy back over $1.3 billion-worth of commercial debt.

Developing Countries: Diseases

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with representatives of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative on treatment for  (a) malaria and  (b) other diseases.

Hilary Benn: DFID is providing £6.5 million to the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) from 2005 to 2008. Officials from the Central Research Department hold regular discussions with DNDi about their work to develop new treatments for malaria and such neglected tropical diseases as leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness and Chagas disease.

Institute for Public Policy Research: Finance

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department provided to  (a) the IPPR and  (b) IPPR Trading Ltd. in each year since May 1997; and for what purposes.

Hilary Benn: Tables 1 and 2 contain details of DFID funding to IPPR and IPPR trading respectively since March 1997.
	
		
			  Table 1: IPPR Funding 
			  Purpose  Year  Amount (£) 
			 Sponsorship of IPPR event 'Can Global become Local' 2004-05 1,468 
			 Evening Symposium 'Putting your House in Order—promoting a more coherent international response to fragile states' 2004-05 7,892 
			 Supporting IPPR event ' Symposium on the future of the United Nations' 2004-05 7,050 
			 Funding for participation in a Working Group on Demographic Challenges in Stockholm. 2005-06 561 
			 Supporting IPPR conference 'China in Africa' 2005-06 9,023 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: IPPR Trading Limited 
			  Purpose  Year  Amount (£) 
			 Consultancy work on Analytical Framework: Poverty, Development and Global Security 2004-05 21,250 
			 Consultancy work on drafting the Security and Development Strategy 2004-05 15,863

Uganda: Overseas Aid

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has made to the Government of Uganda on the distribution of  (a) development funds and  (b) budget support to that country's regions.

Hilary Benn: The overarching framework for allocating budget resources in Uganda is the Government's own Poverty Eradication Action Plan. DFID participates in the process through which the Government of Uganda determine the distribution of budget funds which include assessments of performance and financing needs in individual sectors and an annual Public Expenditure Review in which development partners and civil society are consulted about budget plans for the next year and the medium term. Allocations to the Poverty Action Fund, through which poverty reduction expenditure is prioritised, are now nearly 40 per cent. of the Government's budget compared to about 20 per cent. at the end of the 1990s. DFID's Poverty Reduction Budget Support (PRBS) supplements the Government's own resources in the budget. Decisions about PRBS take into account the Government's commitments to poverty reduction, strengthening financial management and accountability and respecting human rights and international obligations.
	The distribution of support to the country's regions is an important part of the discussions which DFID has about performance and financing needs in individual sectors such as health, education, water and agriculture. The provision of services at district level is largely funded by the central Government. Ensuring that the criteria for allocating resources to districts take proper account of poverty is a priority for DFID. We have worked closely with the Government in different sectors to improve allocation criteria so that the distribution of funds and the provision of services better reflects needs. In recent years there has been a shift in the allocation of resources in favour of poorer districts, although there is scope for further improvement. A recent National Audit Office study noted the contribution DFID has made to bringing about positive changes in the district budget allocation system.
	A particular focus for our discussion about support to Uganda's regions has been the situation in the north where the humanitarian consequences of conflict have created major additional needs on top of normal per capita expenditure, including the requirement for large scale food distribution. These additional needs have largely been met by the donor community. We have pressed the Government to do more. The Government responded in the 2006-07 budget by making available an extra £5.3 million (approximately) for the districts of the north affected by conflict.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Consultation Papers

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what procedures her Department is following in drafting Part I of the Creative Economy Green Paper; and when she expects the Green Paper to be published.

Shaun Woodward: Part 1 of the forthcoming Creative Economy Green Paper will set out a clear analysis of the state of the UK's creative economy, the factors that have driven its recent success and the challenges the sector faces.
	In preparing this, we will draw on the findings of seven Working Groups set up at the outset of the Creative Economy Programme, our existing evidence base and specially commissioned research, as well as responses to an earlier online consultation and a range of industry summits and bilateral discussions.
	The work commissioned by DCMS from the Work Foundation will contribute to an economic analysis. We plan to publish later in the summer.

Consultation Papers

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what procedure her Department used in appointing the Work Foundation to write a paper on the creative economy.

Shaun Woodward: The Department appointed the Work Foundation on a single tender, taking into account several factors. Principal among these was that the Work Foundation was undertaking a major wider project on 'The Knowledge Economy', of which the creative economy is a part. This enabled the organisation to produce expert, innovative and specialised work for this consultancy drawing on their wider experience, evidence base and stature.
	The consultancy project also demands powerful leadership with the ability to help the Department engage in challenging discussion with a wide range of senior figures in the private and public sector. These additional factors also supported the appointment of the Work Foundation.

Copyright: EC Law

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what opportunity was given to stakeholders to comment on the evidence received by the Gowers Review prior to publication of the Gowers Report.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The Gowers Review conducted a public call for evidence in the early stages of the review. Over 100 respondents made their evidence publicly available prior to the publication of the review for wider discussion. The review also met with a wide range of stakeholders—including representatives from the creative industries and consumer groups—throughout 2006 to discuss emerging evidence.

Film

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 14 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 322-4W, on film, which other industry summits she  (a) has held and  (b) plans to hold to inform the further development of the Joint Creative Economy Programme with the Department of Trade and Industry; and who has been invited to each.

Shaun Woodward: We have held industry summits on:
	Film
	Broadcasting
	Architecture
	Music
	Publishing
	We will hold industry summits on:
	Software
	Games
	Design
	Performing Arts
	Advertising
	Fashion.
	I am arranging for a list of those people invited to each industry summit to be placed in the House Libraries. Invitations to the Fashion Summit have not yet been issued.

Museums and Galleries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what requests she has received from any authority within European member states in respect of the restitution of museum artefacts from those states which are held by British museums.

David Lammy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received no recent requests from EU member states in respect of the restitution of artefacts held by British museums.

Museums and Galleries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in other EU member states on the restitution of museum artefacts.

David Lammy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with her counterparts in other EU member states on this issue.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many businesses based in  (a) the London Borough of Newham,  (b) the London Borough of Tower Hamlets,  (c) the London Borough of Hackney,  (d) the London Borough of Waltham Forest and  (e) the London Borough of Greenwich have secured tenders for the construction phase of the London Olympics;
	(2)  how many UK-based businesses in each region have secured tenders for the construction phase of the London Olympics;
	(3)  how many businesses based in  (a) the London Borough of Newham,  (b) the London Borough of Tower Hamlets,  (c) the London Borough of Hackney,  (d) the London Borough of Waltham Forest and  (e) the London Borough of Greenwich have submitted applications for contracts during the construction phase of the London Olympics;
	(4)  what value of contracts has been secured by UK-based businesses in each region for the construction phase of the London Olympics.

Richard Caborn: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is currently engaged in a process of procuring contracts for the construction phase of the Olympic and Paralympic facilities. To date, the ODA has not awarded any construction phase contracts. The ODA has awarded the contract for the project and programme management of the Olympic Park, and has had the contracts for the undergrounding of the powerlines and remediation and demolition work novated over to them from the London Development Agency.
	To date, 1,480 businesses in London have registered an interest in London 2012 contract opportunities of which 143 are interested in construction opportunities. In respect of submitted applications for contracts during the construction phase, applications are currently being reviewed and details of successful applicants will be made available once contracts have been awarded.

Tourism

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which UK cities received the highest number of tourist visitors in each of the last 10 years.

Shaun Woodward: Table 1 shows the UK cities with the highest number of visits by overseas residents from 2000 to 2005. Due to methodological changes to the International Passenger survey in 1999, comparisons with earlier years would be misleading, and are therefore not reported.
	Table 2 shows the UK cities with the highest number of overnight visits by domestic residents for 2005-06 only, as data for previous years would involve disproportionate costs to obtain.
	Information on domestic same day visits is not available at this level of detail.
	
		
			  Table 1: Visits by overseas residents to the UK (all purposes of trip)—Top 5 towns 2000-05 
			  Top Towns/Cities  Total visits( 1)  (Thousand) 
			  2000  
			 London 13,150 
			 Edinburgh 910 
			 Manchester 560 
			 Birmingham 520 
			 Glasgow 430 
			   
			  2001  
			 London 11,450 
			 Edinburgh 850 
			 Manchester 550 
			 Birmingham 450 
			 Glasgow 400 
			   
			  2002  
			 London 11,600 
			 Edinburgh 850 
			 Birmingham 670 
			 Manchester 590 
			 Glasgow 400 
			   
			  2003  
			 London 11,700 
			 Edinburgh 770 
			 Manchester 740 
			 Birmingham 720 
			 Glasgow 420 
			   
			  2004  
			 London 13,390 
			 Edinburgh 940 
			 Manchester 770 
			 Birmingham 730 
			 Glasgow 540 
			  2005  
			 London 13,893 
			 Edinburgh 1,134 
			 Manchester 824 
			 Birmingham 728 
			 Glasgow 684 
			 (1 )Excludes Day Visits  Source:  International Passenger Survey, ONS 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Overnight visits by UK residents (all purposes of trip)—Top 5 towns May 2005-April 2006 
			  Top Towns/Cities  Total visits (Thousand) 
			 London 10,434 
			 Manchester 2,613 
			 Edinburgh 2,237 
			 Birmingham 2,075 
			 Glasgow 1,964 
			  Source:  United Kingdom Tourism Survey

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Air Pollution

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate the House authorities have made of the volume of  (a) carbon dioxide,  (b) methane,  (c) perfluorocarbons,  (d) nitrous oxide and  (e) carbon equivalent released by the incineration of waste from the House of Commons estate when calculating the estate's carbon footprint.

Nick Harvey: Only residual waste after recycling has taken place is sent for incineration with energy recovery. In 2006 residual waste collected from the parliamentary estate amounted to 1,299 tonnes. This material was combusted at an energy recovery facility regulated by the Environment Agency, generating 725,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. The recovered energy is classed as renewable energy by the UK Government, in line with Directive 2001/77/EC on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the internal electricity market.
	Recovering energy from waste is acknowledged in the Stern review as an effective weapon in combating climate change, displacing carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel power generation sources.
	The carbon footprint associated with the combustion of this waste is made up of a number of components:
	(1) Direct emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), expressed as carbon equivalents
	(2) "Avoided" emissions of GHG (that is, emissions displaced from an equivalent amount of fossil fuel power generating capacity)
	(3) GHG emissions (additional or saved) from waste transportation
	(4) Net GHG emissions, taking account of direct, avoided and transport-related emissions.
	 Direct emissions of GHG
	GHG emissions from waste combustion are calculated in two steps. First, an estimate is made of the percentage of fossil and non-fossil carbon in the waste. Second, the emissions from the combustion of the fossil carbon within the waste are calculated. Emissions of non-fossil carbon do not contribute to global warming and are therefore not taken into account.
	Methane is not produced in combustion plants. The remaining greenhouse gases are released in trace quantities relative to emissions of carbon dioxide. Because their concentrations in the emission gases vary according to the composition of the waste, the total GHG effect expressed in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (Teq) is estimated using emission factors developed by DEFRA, based on measured emissions averaged across UK energy recovery facilities.
	Direct GHG emissions following the combustion of residual waste from parliamentary estates amounts to 415 Teq, of which 295 Teq is carbon dioxide.
	 GHG emissions from waste transportation
	A saving in GHG emissions is realised when residual waste from the parliamentary estates is combusted, since the energy recovery facility is just 12 miles from the House. Previously the waste was being transported to landfill further away from the estate.
	The GHG emission factor developed by DEFRA for waste transportation varies between 0.37 and 0.49 kg carbon dioxide equivalents per tonne of waste transported, depending on distance travelled. For transportation of 1,299 tonnes of parliamentary estates waste, this amounts to a GHG emission of between 0.48-0.65 Teq. Since this is less than 1 per cent. of the emissions of direct or avoided emissions, the GHG saving in transporting the waste a shorter distance will be omitted when presenting net emissions.
	 Net GHG emissions
	The carbon footprint associated with the combustion of waste from the parliamentary estates is obtained by subtracting avoided emissions from direct emissions.
	This equates to a net GHG saving of 20 Teq. Therefore 20 Teq should be subtracted when determining the total carbon footprint of parliamentary estates.

TREASURY

Agriculture: Subsidies

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on using the reserve to cover the contingent liability for disallowances arising from the single farm payments under the Common Agricultural Policy; whether he plans to use the reserve to cover the full amount of disallowance; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Government's policy on access to the reserve is set out in paragraphs 1.44—1.47 of the 'Consolidated Budgeting Guidance from 2007-08'. As reflected in their spring supplementary estimate, Defra have been granted a non-cash reserve claim to allow provisions for disallowances to be made in their 2006-07 accounts.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1675W, on what date he was informed that the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs intended to claim £305 million from the reserve for the contingent liabilities for provision for disallowance arising from Common Agricultural Policy schemes.

John Healey: The Treasury and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are in constant contact on a wide range of issues.

British Nationality: Research

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the purpose was of the 'What it means to be British' research commissioned by his Department from Opinion Leader Research in 2005.

John Healey: holding answer 8 March 2007
	The Treasury has commissioned no such research.

Census

Andrew Slaughter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ask the Office for National Statistics to rework 2001 census data for the new parliamentary constituency areas once they are formally agreed.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 March 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ask the Office for National Statistics to rework the 2001 census data for the new parliamentary areas once they are formally agreed. (128034)
	I would refer you to the answer that was supplied in the Official Report Volume 458, Number 61, Column 419.

Climate Change Taskforce

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how vacancies on his climate change taskforce were advertised; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Chancellor does not have a climate change taskforce.

Deborah Mattinson

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times he has met Ms Deborah Mattinson in an official capacity since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: holding answer 1 March 2007
	Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Departmental Staff

Roger Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) marketing officers,  (b) communication officers,  (c) press officers and  (d) promotional officers are employed in his Department; and what estimate he has made of total expenditure on communications for the Department on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

John Healey: The Treasury employs eight press officers. It has no marketing officers. Information on total communications spending is not held centrally.

Departments: Advertising

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's total spending was on advertising and promotional campaigns in each year since 1997; and what the cost of each campaign was, broken down by costs relating to  (a) television,  (b) radio and  (c) print media.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for East Devon (Mr. Swire) on 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 834W and the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson) on 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1075W.

Departments: Energy

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what strategy he has put in place for  (a) the use of renewable energy and  (b) meeting energy targets in his Department's buildings; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Department annually publishes its strategy in the Sustainable Development Action Plan, which can be found at the following public website:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk./media/089/DA/sustainabledev_170306.pdf

Departments: Postal Services

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which postal companies handle mail dispatched by his Office and its agencies.

John Healey: Royal Mail.

Departments: Smith Institute

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many seminars held by the Smith Institute have been attended by Ministers in his Department acting in an official capacity in the last 12 months;
	(2)  on how many occasions he has spoken in an official capacity at an event organised by  (a) the Smith Institute and  (b) its subsidiary SI Events Ltd. in the last 12 months.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials attend many seminars and have meetings with a variety of organisations in the public and private sectors. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Departments: Surveys

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1489W, on Departments: Surveys, if he will redact personal information and place a copy of the survey in the Library.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer of 1 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1489W.

Red Box Teaching Packs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what updates to the Red Box teaching pack were made in the last six months; and how many updates to the Red Box teaching pack have been produced.

John Healey: The Red Box website has been updated and went live in early March. The printed Red Box has not been updated in the last six months. There have been two editions produced to date, in 2002 and 2005, as I said in my written answer of 18 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1557W.

Departments: Trade Unions

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings  (a) he and  (b) his Department's Ministers held with trade union representatives in 2006.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Departments: Training

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) seminars,  (b) workshops and  (c) exhibitions were held by the human resources team in his Department in the last six months.

John Healey: The HR team holds regular meetings in order to fulfil its departmental responsibilities. There is no business requirement to record the details of individual events.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1430W, on disciplinary procedures, what information his Human Resources Department collects on disciplinary action.

John Healey: The Treasury collects a range of data related to Human Resources Issues.

Electoral Register: Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which areas within Chorley borough have low electoral registration rates.

John Healey: holding answer 9 March 2007
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 March 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question regarding which areas within Chorley borough have low electoral registration rates. (126613)
	The attached table provides information, for each electoral ward in Chorley, comparing the number of people who are registered to vote as local electors with the "estimated usually resident population" aged 18 and over. The resulting percentages are labelled as "registration rates" on the table and this term is used in the remainder of this reply. These data provide the closest available approximation to the information you requested. It is not possible to calculate the percentage of the eligible population who are registered to vote: the resident population aged 18 and over is not the same as the number of people eligible to vote.
	These "registration rates" are not published as National Statistics: there are a number of issues that mean care needs to be taken when interpreting the data. In particular, care needs to be taken when considering areas where the usually resident population differs radically from the population eligible to vote. An example of such an area might be one containing prisons (as is the case for Lostock ward) or accommodation for a United States Air Force base, as prisoners and American citizens are not eligible to vote. These people are however included in the population estimates as they are usually resident. Therefore, the estimated "registration rate" calculated for such areas is considerably reduced.
	Please note that the population estimates have a reference date of 30 June, and electoral data a reference date of 1 December. Attainers have been excluded from the electorate data (as they are under 18) to give the best possible comparison.
	There is also inevitably some double counting of the registered electorate (both parliamentary and local/European) as electoral registration officers vary in how quickly they remove people from the registers after they have moved away from an area or after they have died. This is one of the main reasons some areas show rates in excess of 100 per cent.
	The population data are estimates and as such are subject to a margin of confidence. The ward level population estimates are derived from estimates for a different geography that have been published with the status of experimental statistics. Therefore, the estimates, and electoral registration rates derived from them, should not be treated as being exact. The latest derived available ward estimates are for mid-2004 and therefore data are shown for this year.
	
		
			  2004: Electoral registration rates, wards in Chorley, in ascending order. 
			  Electorate Ward  December 2004  Population 18+ Mid-2004  Registration rate( 1) 
			 Lostock 3,385 4,800 71 
			 Coppull 4,971 5,100 97 
			 Chorley North East 5,035 5,200 97 
			 Brindle and Hoghton 1,735 1,800 97 
			 Chorley East 4,955 5,100 98 
			 Clayton Le Woods North 5,164 5,300 98 
			 Pennine 1,729 1,800 99 
			 Clayton Le Woods West and Cuerden 3,498 3,500 99 
			 Chorley South East 4,846 4,900 99 
			 Euxton South 3,220 3,300 99 
			 Heath Charnock and Rivington 1,779 1,800 100 
			 Astley and Buckshaw 2,752 2,800 100 
			 Clayton Le Woods and Whittle Le Woods 5,345 5,300 100 
			 Chorley South West 5,093 5,100 100 
			 Euxton North 3,560 3,500 100 
			 Eccleston and Mawdesley 4,786 4,800 100 
			 Chorley North West 4,945 4,900 100 
			 Chisnall 3,289 3,300 101 
			 Wheelton and Withnell 3,266 3,200 101 
			 Adlington and Anderton 5,526 5,400 102 
			 (1). The registered electorate expressed as a percentage of the usually resident population aged 18 and over. The electoral registration rates have been calculated using unrounded population estimates.   Source:  Office for National Statistics

Employment Level

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many people of working age were  (a) in full- time employment and  (b) in part-time employment in each year since 1979-80;
	(2)  what the  (a) employment rate,  (b) full-time employment rate and  (c) part-time employment rate for (i) women and (ii) men was in each year since 1979-80.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 March 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking how many people of working age have been (a) in full-time employment and (b) in part-time employment in each year since 1979-80 and what the estimate is of the (a) employment rate, (b) full-time employment rate and (c) part-time employment rate for (i) women and (ii) men for each year since 1979-80. (124618 & 124619)
	Table 1 shows the number of people in employment (working age) and the full-time and part-time employment for people aged 16 and over by gender for each year from 1992 to 2006. A full-time and part-time split is not available for the working age population on a consistent basis.
	Table 2 shows the working age employment rates by gender for each year from 1992 to 2006. It also shows the percentages of people working both full-time and part-time based on those who are aged 16 years and over. A full-time and part-time split is not available for the working age population on a consistent basis.
	The two tables provided are for the three months ending December in each year from 1992 to 2006 and are seasonally adjusted.
	Each month the ONS publishes employment levels and rates and full-time and part-time employment in the Labour Market Statistics First Release available within the attached link (see tables 2 and 3) http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/lmsuk0207.pdf.
	Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Table 1: People in employment by gender United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousand 
			   All persons  Men  Women 
			  Three months ending December each year  All( 1,2)  Full-time( 3)  Part-time( 3)  All( 1,2)  Full-time( 3)  Part-time( 3)  All( 1,2)  Full-time( 3)  Part-time( 3) 
			 1992 24,569 19,329 6,006 13,613 12,903 976 10,956 6.426 5,030 
			 1993 24,548 19,167 6.158 13.572 12,775 1,051 10,976 6,392 5.107 
			 1994 24,802 19,359 6,239 13,741 12,925 1.109 11,062 6,434 5.130 
			 1995 25.190 19,497 6.482 13.905 12.994 1,179 11,285 6,503 5,303 
			 1996 25,435 19,591 6,606 14,000 12.990 1.278 11,435 6,601 5,328 
			 1997 25,848 19,993 6.643 14.259 13,272 1,265 11,589 6,721 5,378 
			 1998 26,150 20,169 6.777 14,387 13.340 1,311 11,764 6.829 5,466 
			 1999 26.474 20,447 6,855 14,545 13.478 1,359 11,929 6,970 5,496 
			 2000 26,705 20.548 6,977 14,666 13,568 1,369 12,038 6.979 5,608 
			 2001 26,889 20,753 7.021 14,748 13,612 1,433 12,140. 7,141 5,588 
			 2002 27,173 20,904 7,170 14.913 13,653 1,573 12,261 7,251 5.597 
			 2003 27,289 20,920 7,343 14,929 13,692 1.568 12,360 7,229 5,775 
			 2004 27,588 21.268 7,329 15.103 13.806 1,640 12.485 7,462 5.689 
			 2005 27.640 21,464 7,294 15.133 13,848 1,667 12.507 7.616 5.627 
			 2006 27.832 21,544 7.492 15,260 13.938 1,723 12,572 7,605 5,770 
			 (1) Men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59. (2) Includes those who did not state whether they worked full or part-time. (3) Full and part-time includes people aged 16 and over and is based on respondents' self assessment, not on hours worked.  Note: Full-time and part-time levels do not sum to the total because the total is based on the working age population whilst full-time and part-time estimates are based on those aged 16 years and over.  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Employment rates and the percentages of people working by gender United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted 
			  Percentage 
			   All persons  Men  Women 
			  Three months ending December each year  All( 1,2)  Full-time( 3,4)  Part-time( 3,4)  All( 1,2)  Full-time( 3,4)  Part-time( 3,4)  All( 1,2)  Full-time( 3,4)  Part-time( 3,4) 
			 1992 70.4 76 24 75.3 93 7 65.2 56 44 
			 1993 70.3 76 24 75.2 92 8 65.2 56 44 
			 1994 70.9 76 24 76.0 92 8 65.4 56 44 
			 1995 71.8 75 25 76.7 92 8 66.5 55 45 
			 1996 72.2 75 25 77.0 91 9 67.1 55 45 
			 1997 73.1 75 25 78.2 91 9 67.7 56 45 
			 1998 73.7 75 25 78.6 91 9 68.4 56 45 
			 1999 74.2 75 25 79.1 91 9 69.0 56 44 
			 2000 74.4 75 25 79.2 91 9 69.2 55 45 
			 2001 74.4 75 25 79.1 91 10 69.3 56 44 
			 2002 74.7 75 26 79.5 90 10 69.6 56 44 
			 2003 74.6 74 26 79.1 90 10 69.9 56 44 
			 2004 74.9 74 26 79.3 89 11 70.2 57 43 
			 2005 74.5 75 25 78.8 89 11 69.8 58 43 
			 2006 74.5 74 26 78.8 89 11 69.9 57 43 
			 (1) In employment as a percentage of all persons of working age which includes men aged 16-64 and women 16-59. (2) Includes those who did not state whether they worked full or part-time. (3) Full and part-time as a percentage of all in employment. (4) Full and part-time includes people aged 16 and over and is based on respondents' self assessment, not on hours worked.  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Employment Level

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the  (a) total employment rate and  (b) total full-time employment rate in the (i) 10 local authority areas and (ii) 10 local authority wards in the UK with the (A) highest and (B) lowest employment rates for the latest year for which information is available.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 March 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the (a) total employment rate and (b) total full-time employment rate in the (i) 10 local authority areas and (ii) 10 local authority wards in the UK with the (A) highest and (B) lowest employment rates for the latest year for which information is available. (124620)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of employment for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	Table 1, attached, shows employment rates, for persons of working age, for the 10 local authorities, in Great Britain, with the highest employment rates and the ten authorities with the lowest rates for the 12 months ending in June 2006 from the APS. Table 1 also shows the number of persons, aged 16 and over, in full-time and part-time employment expressed as a proportion of the total number of employed persons aged 16 and over.
	As these estimates are for a subset of the population in a small geographical area, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.
	Table 2, attached, shows employment rates for persons of working age for persons of working age for the ten wards, in Great Britain, with the highest employment rates and the ten wards with the lowest rates from the 2001 Census as reliable ward data is not available from the APS. For clarity, the local authority of the ward is shown. Table 2 also shows the number of persons, aged 16 to 74, in full-time and part-time employment expressed as a proportion of the total number of employed persons aged 16 to 74.
	
		
			  Table 1: Employment rates and the percentages of people working full-time and part-time in the ten highest and ten lowest local authorities; Great Britain; July 2005 to June 2006 
			  Percentage 
			   Proportion of all In employment( 1)  aged 16 and over who are 
			  Local authority  Working age( 2)  employment rate  Full-time( 3)  Part-time( 3) 
			  Ten highest
			 South Northamptonshire 91.8 71 29 
			 Blaby 89.0 73 27 
			 Cotswold 88.5 66 34 
			 West Oxfordshire 87.1 71 29 
			 Orkney Islands 86.2 65 35 
			 Surrey Heath 86.1 69 31 
			 Bromsgrove 86.1 72 28 
			 Eden 86.0 72 28 
			 Shetland Islands 86.0 72 28 
			 South Bucks 85.5 71 30 
			  Ten lowest
			 Barking and Dagenham 62.8 79 20 
			 Birmingham 62.8 74 26 
			 Islington 62.5 86 15 
			 Liverpool 61.1 80 20 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 60.9 74 26 
			 Lambeth 60.2 82 18 
			 Newham 58.6 78 22 
			 West Somerset 58.3 53 47 
			 Hackney 55.7 82 18 
			 Tower Hamlets 54.4 77 23 
			 (1) Includes those who did not state whether they worked full-time or part-time. (2) Men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59. (3) Based on respondents' self assessment not on hours worked. Estimates are subject to sampling variability. Excludes Isles of Scilly.  Source:  Annual Population Survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Employment rates and the percentages of people working full-time and part-time in the ten highest and ten lowest wards;  Great Britain; 2001 
			  Percentage 
			Proportion of all in employment aged 16 to 74 who are 
			  Ward( 1)  Local authority  Working age( 2,3 ) Employment rate  Full-time( 4)  Part-time( 4) 
			  Ten highest 
			 Tresco Isles of Scilly 98 85 15 
			 St. Martin's Isles of Scilly 97 75 25 
			 Walbrook City of London 97 96 4 
			 St. Agnes Isles of Scilly 92 79 21 
			 Donington and Albrighton North Bridgnorth 91 89 11 
			 Brize Norton and Shilton West Oxfordshire 90 88 12 
			 Didcot Ladygrove South Oxfordshire 89 85 15 
			 The Lower Tarrants North Dorset 89 88 12 
			 Bicester South Cherwell 89 85 15 
			 Garelochhead and Cove Argyll and Bute 89 90 10 
			  Ten lowest( 5) 
			 Wollaton East and Lenton Abbey Nottingham 33 61 39 
			 St. Andrews Central Fife 33 51 49 
			 Market Cambridge 31 76 24 
			 Heslington York 31 51 49 
			 Newnham Cambridge 30 71 29 
			 St. Nicholas Durham 29 59 41 
			 Keele Newcastle-under-Lyme 28 44 56 
			 Carfax Oxford 26 73 27 
			 Elvet Durham 22 54 46 
			 Holywell Oxford 12 60 40 
			 (1) Census Area Statistics wards. (2) Men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59. (3) Census outputs present full-time students as economically active. In this table they are included as employed. (4) Full-time is defined as working over 30 hours per week. (5) These wards have a high proportion of full-time university students.  Source:  2001 Census

Government Contracts: Equal Opportunities

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance the Office of Government Commerce has produced on making the award of public contracts conditional on the bidding private sector firms meeting equality or diversity criteria or targets.

John Healey: Social issues—such as equality and diversity considerations—can be taken into account in the procurement process where they are relevant to the subject of the particular contract. OGC published a guidance note, 'Social Issues in Purchasing', in January 2006 on the scope to include social considerations in the procurement process.
	The 'Social Issues in Purchasing' note can be found at:
	http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/Social_Issues_ in_Purchasing.pdf

Institute of British Studies

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress his Department has made towards establishing an Institute of British Studies.

John Healey: A range of organisations is advancing proposals for such an institute.

Lakshmi Mittal

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has met Lakshmi Mittal since 1997.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Migrant Workers

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions Ministers in his Department have had with counterparts in the Home Office regarding recent changes to the Highly Skilled Migrants Programme.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials are in regular contact with colleagues in other Departments.

Ministerial Travel

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 29 November 2006,  Official Report, column 727W, on ministerial travel, which publication lists the overseas visits of  (a) the Paymaster General,  (b) the Financial Secretary and  (c) the Economic Secretary; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: As with all inquiries relating to the cost of ministerial travel, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the information the Government have published on an annual basis since 1999, listing overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500 and the total cost of all ministerial travel. Information for 2006-07 will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year. All ministerial visits are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Office for National Statistics: Internet

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to improve the user-friendliness of the Office for National Statistics website.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated 21 March 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking, what steps are being taken to improve the user-friendliness of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website, I am replying in her absence. (127826)
	The existing ONS website is over five years old and at the time it was created it was rated as one of the best Government websites. However, internet technology changes extremely quickly and we recognise that the website is now in need of updating, ONS is part-way through a project to develop a new website to meet the needs of users. The new website is being designed to be effective and easy to use, and will also need to take on board organisational changes to ONS resulting from the Statistics and Registration Service Bill. Rollout of the new site is due to start in 2008.
	Although our main efforts are devoted to developing the new website we are not neglecting the existing site. We have an ongoing programme of refinement to make modest improvements for users. We continue to monitor performance and to keep content topical: in particular the homepage is updated almost daily to provide easy access to the latest data and commentary.

Official Visits

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many visits to India  (a) HM Treasury civil servants and  (b) special advisers took in preparation for his recent visit to India; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each visit.

John Healey: While Treasury officials have visited India, there were no preparatory visits specific to the Chancellor's visit.

Official Visits

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2007,  Official Report, column 2269W, on Official Visits: USA, whether he stayed at the British embassy on the visit in April 2006.

John Healey: We do not provide details of Ministers' accommodation arrangements.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of Partnerships UK's assessment of the potential for private investment in the construction of the infrastructure for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has undertaken of the potential for private investment in the construction of  (a) venues and  (b) the Olympic Village for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics; what the outcomes were of such assessments; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The potential level of private investment in the construction of different elements of the Olympic Park is subject to commercial negotiations with private developers.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugo Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date he had first sight of the original budget for the 2012 Olympics prior to its approval by Cabinet for submission to the International Olympic Committee.

John Healey: The original budget for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games was developed from 2002 onwards.

Smith Institute

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many events his Department held in conjunction with the Smith Institute as part of the  (a) Gowers,  (b) Leitch,  (c) Cox,  (d) Cave and  (e) Stern reviews;
	(2)  whether responses to consultations as part of the  (a) Gowers Review,  (b) Leitch Review,  (c) Cox Review,  (d) Cave Review and  (e) Stern Review were received from the Smith Institute.

John Healey: The Department held no events and received no responses.

Smith Institute

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1134W, on the Smith Institute, which charities applied to hold events at No. 11 Downing street in each year since 1996 but had their request turned down.

John Healey: A list of all the organisations which have applied to use No. 11 Downing street is not available. However, the Treasury tries to accommodate all charities which have applied to do so.

Unemployment: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many economically inactive people of working age there were in Peterborough constituency in age groups  (a) 18 to 24 years,  (b) 25 to 50 years and  (c) 50 years or more in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 21 March 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many economically inactive people of working age there were in Peterborough constituency in age groups (a) 18 to 24 years, (b) 25 to 50 years and (c) 50 years or more in each year since 1997. I am replying in her absence. (128200)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of inactivity from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	The attached table shows the number of economically inactive persons aged 16 to 24, 25 to 49, 50 to retirement age and for all persons of working age resident in the Peterborough constituency from the annual local area LFS for the 12-month periods ending in February from 1997 to 2004 and from the APS for the 12-month periods ending in March from 2005 to 2006. These numbers are also expressed as a percentage of the relevant population.
	As these estimates are for a subset of the population in a small geographical area, they are based on very small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty. In this case, the sample sizes are not sufficient to give an accurate estimate of even the direction of the change over the period.
	
		
			  Table 1: Economic inactivity by age group for the Peterborough parliamentary constituency 
			  Thousand 
			   16 to 24  25 to 49  50 to retirement age( 1)  All persons of working age( 2) 
			  12 months ending  Level  Rate (percentage)  Level  Rate (percentage)  Level  Rate (percentage)  Level  Rate (percentage) 
			 February 1997 3 22 8 22 3 31 14 23 
			 February 1998 3 22 8 24 4 33 15 25 
			 February 1999 3 30 6 17 3 34 13 22 
			 February 2000 3 22 4 10 6 57 13 21 
			 February 2001 3 24 6 17 4 32 13 22 
			 February 2002 2 23 6 17 4 30 13 21 
			 February 2003 3 22 6 16 4 27 12 20 
			 February 2004 3 25 5 15 3 24 11 20 
			 March 2005 3 31 6 18 3 26 12 22 
			 March 2006 4 36 6 18 3 25 13 23 
			 (1) Males aged 50 to 64 and females aged 50 to 59. (2) Males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59.  Notes: 1. Estimates are subject to sampling variability. 2. Changes in the estimates overtime should be treated with caution.  Source: Annual local area Labour Force Survey; Annual Population Survey.

V

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he attended the parliamentary reception for the charity V in February.

John Healey: holding answer 13 March 2007
	The Chancellor did not attend.

Written Questions

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has received representations from the Leader of the House on his Department's answers to written parliamentary questions.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials discuss a wide variety of issues relating to parliamentary business with their counterparts in other Departments, including the Privy Council Office.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Postal Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on delays to mail sent to the United Kingdom from UK forces deployed abroad; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has received no representations concerning delays to inbound mail to the UK from HM forces deployed abroad. Mail returning to the UK, if not addressed to other BFPO numbers, is collected and processed by Royal Mail Group for delivery to UK addresses.

Departments: Shipping

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which merchant shipping vessels were  (a) chartered and  (b) used by his Department in (i) 2005-06 and (ii) 2006-07; and what the (A) name, (B) flag and (C) type was of each vessel.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 16 February 2006,  Official Report, column 2208W, for vessels chartered up to mid-February 2006.
	The additional information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Date  Name  Type  Flag 
			 December 2005-April 2006 Sloman Commander MPP Tweendecker Antigua and Barbuda 
			 January-May 2006 Skaftafel Tweendecker Gibraltar 
			 27 February 2006 MaryM Platform Supply Vessel UK 
			 March-April 2006 Hansaland Roll On Roll Off (Roro) Bahamas 
			 March-April 2006 Zeran Roro Maltese 
			 29 March 2006 Condock 1 Heavylift Ship Dutch Antilles 
			 April-June 2006 Leliegracht Tweendecker Dutch 
			 26 April 2006 Toisa Coral Platform Supply Vessel UK 
			 31 May 2006 Laura M Platform Supply Vessel UK 
			 19 June 2006 Rebecca M Platform Supply Vessel UK 
			 July-August 2006 Thorkis MPP Tweendecker Isle of Man 
			 13 July 2006 Ormesby Cross and Kincardine Tug UK 
			 13 July 2006 Gironde Tug Malta 
			 14 August 2006 Lesley M Platform Supply Vessel UK 
			 September 2006 Kilcoe RORO Irish 
			 15 September 2006 Valiant B Tug UK 
			 22 September 2006 Stevns Icecap Tug Danish 
			 4 October 2006 Abeille Liberte Tug France 
			 November 2006 onwards Maersk Rapier Tanker UK 
			 November 2006-January 2007 CEC Faith Tweendecker Bahamas 
			 22 November 2006 Mary M Platform Supply Vessel UK 
			 10 December 2006 Lesley M Platform Supply Vessel UK 
			 19 December 2006 Vos Shelter Platform Supply Vessel Dutch 
			 January 2007 CEC Svendborg Tweendecker Bahamas 
			 4 January 2007 Vos Sympathy Platform Supply Vessel Dutch 
			 March-May 2007 Paimpol Rolo Antigua 
			 2 March 2007 Mary M Platform Supply Vessel UK 
			 9 March 2007 Carlo Magno Tug Italian

Gibraltar: Military Bases

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilians are employed at the dockyard in Gibraltar.

Adam Ingram: Further to the answer I gave my right hon. Friend on 5 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1657W, I am not able to confirm how many civilians are employed at the dockyard in Gibraltar because the facility is operated by a private company. They, and not the Ministry of Defence (MOD), employ the civilians who work there.
	The number of civilian personnel employed by the MOD in Gibraltar is listed in the following table(1), showing both core MOD staff, and locally engaged civilians as at 1 January 2007. These figures represent all civilian personnel in Gibraltar. Details for specific areas such as the dockyard are not held centrally.
	(1) All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	
		
			   Full-time equivalents( 1) 
			 Core MOD 60 
			 Locally engaged civilians 960 
			 Total 1,020 
			 (1) Full-time equivalence counts part-time staff by the number of hours they work as a proportion of their full-time conditioned hours.

Hercules Aircraft

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will assess the adequacy of work carried out by the contractors fitting suppressant foam to Hercules aircraft.

Adam Ingram: We are satisfied that the contractor is applying quality assurance processes robustly and that the fitting of explosive suppressant foam to Hercules aircraft will be completed within the agreed timeframe.

Hercules Aircraft

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the value of the Hercules aircraft ZH876 and its contents that was written off and destroyed following the landing accident north of Basra.

Adam Ingram: The current market value of a C-130J aircraft is in the region of £45 million.

Identification Friend Foe Systems

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether he expects the Battlefield Target Identification System to supersede the Bowman and Coalition Blue Force Situational Awareness Demonstrator;
	(2)  whether he expects the Battlefield Target Identification System to be fully inter-operable with  (a) the United States and  (b) other NATO countries;
	(3)  when he expects the Battlefield Target Identification System to come into service; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Battlefield Target Identification System (BTIS) is intended to help identify friendly forces, helping to reduce the risk of fratricide. It will complement other systems providing better situational awareness and also contributing to reduced risk of fratricide, such as Bowman and the Coalition Blue Force Situational Awareness Demonstrator, not replace them.
	The BTIS programme has not yet reached its main investment decision point and in line with our normal practice no in-service date will be confirmed until that point. We fully recognise the importance of any UK combat identification system being inter-operable with US and other NATO and coalition partners.

Iraq: Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Mastiff protected patrol vehicles have reached the front-line troops in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 20 March 2007
	The first Mastiff vehicles were delivered to Iraq at the end of 2006 and are being used on operations.
	I am withholding details on the number of vehicles that are currently deployed as it would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our Armed Forces.

Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers from Welsh regiments he expects to be included in the next roulement of troops that will be sent to Iraq in June; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: A total of 640 soldiers from the Battlegroup headquarters and three armoured infantry companies of the Second Battalion, the Royal Welsh Regiment and one infantry company of the First Battalion, the Royal Welsh Regiment will be deploying to Iraq in June as announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence in his statement on 22 February 2007,  Official Report, column 59WS.

Mine Clearing Vehicles

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many mine clearing vehicles were sold from his Department's inventory in each of the last four years.

Adam Ingram: The only mine clearing vehicles that MOD has sold in the last four years are three Aardvark Flail units which were sold in 2005.

Royal Naval Hospital Haslar

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to relocate the Royal Hospital Haslar.

Derek Twigg: None. The Royal Hospital Haslar will lose its formal military status on 31 March. However, we expect that it will continue to operate much as it does now until late 2009, with the support of military doctors and nurses, providing health care to the local community and, in very small numbers, military patients, until Portsmouth Hospitals Trust is able to relocate its clinical activity elsewhere. The hospital will then be closed.
	Military doctors and nurses will continue to maintain their skills and treat patients in the hospitals of the Portsmouth Hospital Trust and other NHS trusts which host Ministry of Defence Hospital Units (MDHUs). Military patients will continue to receive treatment from the MDHU host trusts and other parts of the NHS.

Selly Oak Hospital

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the  (a) accommodation and  (b) treatment of wounded servicemen and women is organised at the NHS Selly Oak hospital.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 19 March 2007
	Military patients admitted to Selly Oak hospital, or other hospitals of the University Hospital Birmingham Foundation Trust, are accommodated in wards appropriate to their clinical need. The largest number of operational casualties have required treatment as trauma orthopaedic cases. They are therefore the focus for the military managed ward that has been developed at Selly Oak to enable military patients to be accommodated together in a single ward, where it is clinically appropriate to do so.
	The military managed ward offers the opportunity to accommodate military patients together in six-bedded bays or, when necessary, in side isolation rooms. A works project, now out to tender, will change the layout of the ward to produce a separate area for military patients, utilising the two bays and isolation rooms at the far end of the ward.
	The treatment of military patients is the responsibility of the NHS Trust. A military trauma co-ordinator is responsible for liaising with clinical colleagues, military and civilian, to provide advice on Service issues and ensure that military aspects of military patients' treatment are fully taken into account. On the military managed ward, military nurses will always be on duty and currently include 19 qualified nurses and 5 health care assistants. They work closely together with NHS colleagues to provide nursing care, with special emphasis on military patients. A military ward manager, supported by three military deputies, is responsible for all aspects of the military presence on the ward.
	Military patients at Selly Oak and elsewhere in the Birmingham area are supported by the work of two full-time community psychiatric nurses and four welfare officers of the Defence Medical Welfare Service. Families of injured Service personnel are provided with welfare support and accommodation when necessary. Accommodation available includes seven flats, plus a number of family rooms.
	We shall continue to enhance the capability of the military managed ward and the care available for all military patients. The development of the ward would not have been possible without the close and enthusiastic support of the NHS Trust.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Day Care

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the availability of wraparound child care.

Jim Murphy: My Department works closely with the Department for Education and Skills on the delivery of the Government's ambitious 10-year child care strategy, including the extension of wraparound child care.
	The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education and Skills share two PSA targets, to improve outcomes for young children and to increase the stock and the take up of formal child care as a contribution towards reducing the proportion of children living in households where no one is working.

Children: Day Care

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the availability of child care to parents of children aged between 11 and 16 years old, with particular reference to during school holidays.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	This information is not collected centrally. From April 2007 all English local authorities will have a duty to carry out an assessment of the sufficiency of child care in their area. This will involve a detailed assessment of the demand for, and supply of, child care in their area, including holiday provision for children aged 11 to 14 (and up to 18 if disabled). This will enable local authorities to plan how to secure sufficient child care and establish the services parents and children need.

Children: Maintenance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on progress towards the Government's target to reduce the time taken to process child maintenance applications.

James Plaskitt: The Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 21 March 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, about the Government's target to reduce the time taken to process child maintenance applications.
	The Child Support Agency has been set six targets by the Secretary of State for 2006/07, which were published in the Agency's Business Plan, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library, or on the internet via the following link: www.csa.gov.uk/pdf/englsih/reports/plan0607.pdf.
	Two of these targets relate to the processing and clearing of applications received since the new scheme was introduced in March 2003.
	The first concerns the volume of applications being cleared and states that: by 31 March 2007, the Agency will have reduced the volume of uncleared new scheme applications by 25 per cent. of the amount outstanding by the end of March 2006. The second concerns the speed with which new applications should be processed and states that: by 31 March 2007, the Agency will clear 55 per cent. of the new applications within 12 weeks of receipt and 80 per cent. within 26 weeks.
	The Agency's latest performance against these targets was published in table 2.1 and table 3 of the December 2006 Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary Statistics, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library, or on the internet via the following link: www.dwp.gov/asd/asd1/child_support/csa_quarterly_dec06.asp.

Income Support: Lone Parents

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of lone parents whose youngest child is over 11 are receiving income support; and how many and what proportion are  (a) carers for a disabled child and  (b) have a disability themselves.

Jim Murphy: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Lone parents with youngest child over 11 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 Claiming income support 108,950 19.1 
			 Caring for a disabled child 105,000 25.1 
			 Report disability themselves 160,000 28.1 
			  Notes: 1. The number of income support lone parents is reported using DWP administrative data. 2. Lone parent population data is taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2006 Q2—it indicates there were 570,000 lone parents with a youngest child aged over 11. In total there were 1.78 million lone parents. 3. The second quarter of 2006 covers April to June, while the administrative data are taken from August 2006. These figures are not directly comparable. The figure indicating the estimated proportion of lone parents claiming income support should be considered as indicative only. 4. Information concerning the number of lone parents with a disabled child is reported using the Family and Children's Study 2004 and includes working and non-working lone parents with a disabled child. Population estimates have been produced by grossing up from a sample of 7,000 families, so there will be a margin of error around these estimates and they should be treated with caution. 5. The number and proportion of lone parents with a disability is taken from the LFS 2006 Q2. This includes those who self-report as DDA or work-limiting disabled, or both.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether mechanisms are in place for jobseekers to recommence their benefits after ceasing short-term employment without having to sign on again in person; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: There is no mechanism in place for jobseekers to recommence their jobseeker's allowance claim without having to register in person.
	To ensure people are able to reinstate their benefit claim quickly after a short break, Jobcentre Plus fast-track people through what is known as a rapid re-claim process. This is used for people who are returning to benefit within 12 weeks and whose circumstances (in relation to the claim) are unchanged. Rapid re-claim supports the incentive to take up employment, including short-term periods of full-time work, by allowing the completion of a shortened claim form. To be able to move quickly back into benefit also eases the concerns felt about re-claiming benefits if the work suddenly comes to an end.
	While rapid re-claim still requires a face-to-face contact—needed to put in place things such as the jobseeker's agreement, which is a legal requirement—the process is much streamlined and involves a shorter interview and much reduced paperwork. Interviews are typically undertaken with 48 hours and people being required to confirm their circumstances remain as previously stated in writing.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people reported benefit thefts via the Department's benefit theft website in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of benefit thefts reported to the DWP Targeting Benefit Thieves website between January 2006 and December 2006 
			   Number 
			 January 1759 
			 February 2302 
			 March 2506 
			 April 2481 
			 May 3574 
			 June 2869 
			 July 2591 
			 August 2962 
			 September 2478 
			 October 3670 
			 November 3334 
			 December 2284 
			  Note: Figures include both benefit and instrument of payment cases.  Source: Fraud Information by Sector

Social Security Benefits: Telephone Services

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff were employed to answer benefit theft hotline calls in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Staff employed to answer national benefit fraud hotline calls 
			  Month  Total full-time equivalants 
			  2006  
			 February 43.45 
			 March 37.78 
			 April 40.47 
			 May 39.79 
			 June 42.27 
			 July 52.20 
			 August 51.96 
			 September 45.87 
			 October 46.83 
			 November 62.92 
			 December 66.68 
			  2007  
			 January 65.01 
			  Source: National Benefit Fraud Hotline

Written Questions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to answer question 111479, on the quality of new deal programmes, tabled by the hon. Member for Fareham on 23 January 2007.

Jim Murphy: I replied to the hon. Gentlleman on 5 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1733W.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Construction: Research

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the percentage of the construction industry's total value which was represented by research and development spending in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The DTI does not collect estimates of the percentage of the construction industry's total value represented by research and development (R and D) spending. However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects statistics which are indicative of formal Business Enterprise R and D (BERD) as follows:
	
		
			  ONS BERD 
			   Construction contracting—R and D as percentage of gross value added 
			 2001 0.06 
			 2002 0.06 
			 2003 0.05 
			 2004 (1)— 
			 2005 0.05 
			 (1) BERD data for 2004 are withheld to avoid disclosure of figures in which the returns of individual businesses could be identified.  Source: ONS - Research and Development in UK Businesses (MA14) 
		
	
	Although the Government's aim is to raise the level of research and innovation across the UK economy, it is difficult to capture innovation in project-based activities such as construction. The Department's innovation survey shows that 44 per cent. of construction enterprises were involved in some form of innovation activity between 2002 and 2004. The sector's main contractors and specialist engineering innovation activity is largely of a site-based problem-solving form, although some also undertake formal research and development.

Data Protection: Costs

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the  (a) one-off and  (b) recurring cost of implementing the Data Protection Act to (i) businesses and (ii) the regulators.

Vera Baird: I have been asked to reply.
	The regulatory impact assessment for directive 95/46/EC (the data protection directive) includes a compliance cost assessment, a copy of which is available in the Libraries of both Houses.
	This assessment lists the total start-up costs of the legislation as £836 million and £630 million in recurring annual costs. There was no assessment of the potential costs to regulators.
	In December 2006 the DCA published a report on its participation in the cross-Government administrative burdens measurement exercise, which was intended to measure the administrative costs to businesses, charities and the voluntary sector of complying with Government regulation. This measured the costs to business of complying with the Data Protection Act and associated secondary legislation as £55.9 million in recurring annual administrative costs. However, it should be noted that due to the methodology used during this exercise this figure should be regarded as indicative and not statistically robust.
	The full report can be accessed at:
	http://www.dca.gov.uk/pubs/reports/abr_mexrc_rep.pdf.

Departments: Complaints

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints were received by his Department and its executive agencies in  (a) 1997-98,  (b) 2001-02 and  (c) 2005-06; and how many have been received in 2006-07 to date.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The central Department (also covering the Small Business Service) does not collate figures on complaints. Figures for the Department's other agencies are as follows:
	
		
			 Patent Office  
			   NWML( 1)  Insolvency service  Formal  Informal  Companies House 
			 1997-98 1 927 20 94 (2)— 
			 2001-02 3 595 27 33 29,008 
			 2005-06 0 428 10 19 34,804 
			 2006-07 5 331 31 (3)100 31,875 
			 (1) National Weights and Measures Laboratory  (2) Figures for 1997-98 are not available due to a change in computer software  (3) A high number of these complaints were about the same subject

Dietary Supplements: Channel Islands

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate his Department has made of the size of the market share of suppliers based in the Channel Islands in the food supplements and herbal remedies mail order sector in  (a) 1996 and  (b) 2006.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	Information is not held centrally by Government on the amount of food supplements and herbal remedies obtained by mail order from the Channel Islands. No estimate has been made on the size of the market share of suppliers based in the Channel Islands.

East of England Tourist Board: Grants

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what key performance indicators have been agreed between the East of England Development Agency and the East of England Tourist Board in respect of the grant of £1 million in the  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08 financial year.

Margaret Hodge: As part of the business plan for tourism, under which the East of England Tourist Board (EET) is tasked with delivering tourism marketing and promotion for the external lending mandate investment, the following key performance indicators were agreed:
	Secure at least 10 per cent. private sector cash match-funding and at least 10 per cent. benefit-in-kind for all marketing and PR campaigns.
	Achieve a return on investment of 4:1 for all domestic campaigns.
	Achieve a return on investment of 25:1 for international campaigns.
	Evaluate all PR activity to show where the activity was placed, what message was received and how it was received and what the opportunities of exposure to the message were.
	This return is then measured through capturing information from the visitors via research (online and at the area/destination and via the industry) as their reasons for visiting and the spend per head.
	These key performance indicators are valid for the lifetime of the agreement between EEDA and EET which is until March 2008.

Enterprise Capital Fund

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been invested in  (a) the Enterprise Capital Fund providing early stage funding for companies developing sustainable technologies and  (b) other Enterprise Capital funds.

Margaret Hodge: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Government and private investors have committed to invest up to £30 million in the 21st Century Sustainable Technology Growth Fund.
	 (b) Investment committed by Government and private investors into the other four funds currently awarded Enterprise Capital Fund status totals £95 million.
	These funds were launched in the second half of 2006 and are expected to invest the commitment over the next seven to eight years.

Government Contracts: Equal Opportunities

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guidance his Department, its agencies or sponsored public bodies produced on making the award of public contracts conditional on the bidding private sector firms meeting equality or diversity criteria or targets.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department of Trade and Industry has recently reviewed its procurement procedures as part of its work to implement the public sector duties to promote equality of opportunity for race, (imposed by the Race Relations Act 1976 (as amended by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000)), and disability, (imposed by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (as amended by the Disability Discrimination Act 2000)).
	The Department's invitation to tender documents now contain information alerting potential contractors to the need to demonstrate an understanding and application of the disability and race duties in the services they provide or are seeking to provide. This information makes it clear that while contractors are not subject to these public sector duties in an individual capacity, DTI's legal obligations extend to those organisations with whom they contract. In addition, the Department also now requires its top 50 existing suppliers to if requested, provide, management information to demonstrate their compliance with the duties. The Department, in its revised standard terms of contract, has the right to terminate a contract for non-compliance with the duties. These provisions, specific to the duties, complement the Department's pre-existing anti-discrimination best practice and contractual requirements.
	The Department's procurement guidance and documentation is available on the internet for agencies and sponsored bodies to access and apply at their discretion.
	The Department does not hold central records of the guidance issued by its sponsored public bodies in this area.
	I have asked the chief executives of the executive agencies to respond directly to the hon. Gentleman.
	 Letter from Tim Moss, dated 21 March 2007:
	I am responding to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on behalf of Companies House, which is an Executive Agency of the DTI.
	Companies House is not a contracting authority in its own right. All of our tenders are issued on behalf of the Secretary of State for the DTI, and as such we do not have our own bespoke invitation to tender documentation but instead utilise the DTI full procurement document set which they provide. These recently updated terms reinforce their, and therefore Companies House's stance on diversity and equality issues in respect of third party suppliers.
	 Letter from Ron Marchant CB, dated 21 March 2007:
	Please see the following, from the Patent Office, in response to your recent parliamentary question.
	Written PQ 2006/1636: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what guidance his Department, its agencies or sponsored public bodies produced on making the award of public contracts conditional on the bidding private sector firms meeting equality or diversity criteria or targets.
	The Patent Office, as an Executive Agency of DTI, adopts similar procedures to that of its parent department, using invitation to tender documentation that requests private sector firms to demonstrate compliance with equality or diversity issues. Further, the Patent Office let contracts that are governed by DTI standard terms and conditions of business that address compliance with the Duties, and ensure that evaluation criteria for contract award decisions also address equality or diversity issues.
	 Letter from Graham Horne, dated 21 March 2007:
	The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of the Insolvency Service in respect of your question (2006/1636) asking about its guidance on making the award of its contracts conditional on the bidding private sector firms meeting equality or diversity criteria or targets.
	I can confirm that the Insolvency Service follows the procurement procedures and guidance set down by its parent department, the Department of Trade and Industry, who are responding separately to your question.
	 Letter from Dr. Jeff Llewellyn, CE, dated 21 March 2007:
	The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) to your question regarding the guidance his Department, its agencies or sponsored public bodies produce on making the award of public contracts conditional on the bidding private sector firms meeting equality or diversity criteria or targets.
	The National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) uses the same guidance and documentation as the Department of Trade and Industry. Details of the guidance and documentation were set out in the answer to written PQ2006/1636 provided to you recently by the Department of Trade and Industry.

Manufacturing: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to encourage  (a) research and development,  (b) manufacturing and  (c) international investment in (i) Eastbourne and (ii) East Sussex.

Margaret Hodge: The DTI provides support to encourage research and development, manufacturing and international investment in Eastbourne and East Sussex through a range of national and regional programmes and initiatives:
	The Government have introduced and improved the R and D tax credit to enable companies in all regions to carry out research and development projects, the credit is presently worth £600 million per year in Government support. In 2006-07 we are providing £3.3 billion to support UK science which includes £2.3 million to the Technology Programme which is to support the UK research base and £430 million to the Technology Programme which is 600 collaborative R and D projects across 40 technology areas, enabling manufacturers to capitalise on key technologies.
	Regionally, three programmes are managed by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) on behalf of the Department. These are the Grant for Research and Development, Selective Finance for Investment and the Manufacturing Advisory Service.
	In addition, SEEDA provides advice and information via the Business Link network as well as support through programmes such as the Innovation Advisory Service and Enterprise Hub Programme, among others. SEEDA also manages regional delivery of the national inward investment promotion framework which is operated by UK Trade and Investment. The framework seeks to encourage foreign direct investors as well as working directly with relevant partners in the region to encourage appropriate international investment—including into East Sussex.

Regional Government: Northern Region

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total expenditure by  (a) the Northwest Regional Development Agency,  (b) One Northeast and  (c) Yorkshire Forward was on the recent New Local Government Network pamphlet Redesigning Regionalism: leadership and accountability in England's regions.

Margaret Hodge: Northwest Regional Development Agency, One Northeast and Yorkshire Forward have each contributed £5,000 to the production of the report by the New Local Government Network. The report dealt with the roles of regional development agencies, city regions and regional assemblies and set out a range of options to enhance accountability. These issues reflected the priorities set out in the Local Government White Paper and are also being considered in the sub-national review as part of the comprehensive spending review process.

Space Technology: European Union

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much the Government have contributed to the EU space programme site in French Guyiana since its inception.

Malcolm Wicks: The UK Government have contributed €140.9 million to the European Space Agency (ESA)—not EU—programme supporting the site in French Guiana since 1976 when the programme started.

Trade Promotion

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what requests he has received for Ministers to visit non-EU countries on trade promotion visits since May 2005;
	(2)  which countries Ministers in his Department have visited on trade promotion visits in each year since 2000; which Ministers visited each; and on what date each visit took place.

Alistair Darling: holding answer 2 March 2007
	There is no central record of ministerial visits, and it would incur disproportionate cost to obtain this information. All ministerial visits are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers. Since 1999, the Government have published, on an annual basis, a list of overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500 and the total cost of all ministerial travel. Information for 2006-07 will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year.

Under-represented Groups

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research his Department has carried out into the barriers to enterprise experienced by under-represented groups.

Margaret Hodge: Research to increase our understanding of the barriers to enterprise for under-represented groups has been carried out within the following research projects.
	Women's Business Ownership: Recent research and policy development
	Ethnic Minority Businesses and ICT Focus Group Research
	Engaging Black and Minority Ethnic Entrepreneurs in Business Support
	Enterprise Dynamics in the 20 per cent. Most Deprived Wards in England
	Business-led Regeneration: Case Studies in four urban areas
	Policy Interactions and Outcomes in Deprived Areas
	Ethnic Minority Businesses in England; Report on the Annual Small Business
	Survey 2003 Ethnic Boost
	Evaluation of the Phoenix Development Fund
	Evaluation of City Growth Strategies
	Evaluation of Phoenix Fund support for Community Development Finance
	Institutions
	Finance for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Report on the 2004 UK
	Survey of SME Finances
	Myths surrounding starting and running a business
	Household Survey of Entrepreneurship 2005
	Tackling Mental Health Issues Through Enterprise
	Annual Small Business Survey [for each year over the last three years]
	Full details of these and other research studies carried out on enterprise issues can be found at the Small Business Service website:
	www.sbs.gov.uk

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Absent Voting: Prisoners

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate her Department has made of how many UK citizens serving a punishment in a foreign prison voted by post or proxy in  (a) the 2005 General Election and  (b) 2006 local elections.

Bridget Prentice: The details of voters who are registered at overseas addresses are not held centrally. Therefore no estimate has been made.

Departments: Postal Services

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which postal companies handle mail dispatched by her Department and its agencies.

Vera Baird: My Department uses two postal companies to handle mail despatched by the Department and its agencies. The service providers are Royal Mail and DX Network Services.

Election Petitions

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what representations her Department has received from Equifax on the reliability of Election petitions.

Bridget Prentice: I am not aware that Equifax has made any such representations.

Elections: Fraud

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what submissions her Department has made to the Council of Europe on electoral fraud in the last six months.

Bridget Prentice: I, and officials from my Department, met with the Council of Europe Delegation during their visit to the UK on 26-28 February. My officials have also contributed to Council of Europe seminars on electoral modernisation, which have included discussions on election security.

Electoral Systems: Reform

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether she plans to implement the proposals of the Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life made on 27 February 2007 on the electoral system.

Bridget Prentice: The Government will respond formally to the Committee's report in due course.

Legal Opinion

Karen Buck: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many clients received Level One advice in each English region in each of the last five years.

Vera Baird: Level One work in the Not-for-Profit contract allows providers to spend up to 10 per cent. of their casework time on short matters that do not require an assessment of financial eligibility.
	Not-for-Profit providers record the number of hours undertaken at Level One, not the number of cases. The number of hours worked under Level One in the Not-for-Profit contract since 2002 is set out in the table. Data prior to this date are not available.
	
		
			   Hours 
			 2002-03 32,601 
			 2003-04 35,347 
			 2004-05 44,345 
			 2005-06 52,723 
		
	
	Data broken down by region can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	Under the Legal Service Commission's Funding Code, the first level of legal aid advice, Legal Help, is also referred to as Level One. This answer refers to the Level One work as defined in the Not-for-Profit contract only.

Small Claims: Personal Injury

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs on what date her Department plans to announce its findings on the appropriateness of raising the small claims limit for personal injury claims on the small claims track.

Vera Baird: The Government have been considering all the case track limits and intend to publish a consultation paper in April.

Voting Rights: Commonwealth

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which Commonwealth countries have reciprocal agreements with the UK on residential qualifications for voting in  (a) local elections and  (b) national elections.

Bridget Prentice: I am not aware of any formal reciprocal agreements with any Commonwealth country. The Representation of the People Act 1983 provides that all Commonwealth citizens who are lawfully resident here are entitled to vote in parliamentary and local elections. Decisions about the voting rights of British citizens resident in other Commonwealth countries are for the individual countries concerned.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adoption

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what average time his Department took to process an inter-country adoption in each of the last five years from  (a) the time of the original adoption panel and  (b) the sending of documentation to the other country involved; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department does not record information on the time period between the date of a prospective adopter's adoption panel and the receipt of their inter-country adoption application papers in this Department. Information on the processing time in each of the last five years between receipt of applications in this Department and the papers being sent to country, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many learners  (a) started and  (b) successfully completed the framework for (i) apprenticeships and (ii) advanced apprenticeships in each year between 1997 and 2006.

Phil Hope: holding answer 14 March 2007
	Figures for learners starting and achieving apprenticeships and advanced apprenticeships can be derived from the work based learning (WBL) individualised learner record (ILR). The WBL ILR was collated for the first time in 2002-03 and figures are presented from that time.
	The following table shows the number of starters and achievers for apprenticeships and advanced apprenticeships 2002-03 to 2005-06.
	
		
			   Advanced apprenticeship  Apprenticeship 
			   Number of starters  Number of achievers  Number of starters  Number of achievers 
			 2002-03 48,410 25,250 119,210 38,180 
			 2003-04 56,960 23,820 136,600 45,540 
			 2004-05 51,050 25,950 132,220 61,190 
			 2005-06 52,130 32,990 122,850 77,180 
			  Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10 learners. 
		
	
	The number of learners who started an apprenticeship and the number of achievers in each year are mutually exclusive. This combination of figures is not used to calculate performance information for WBL.

Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how long it took on average to produce a section 7 case in respect of Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service proceedings in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) each of the preceding five years;
	(2)  whether he expects any reduction in the number of Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service self-employed contractors in 2006-07;
	(3)  how many vacancies there are for  (a) private law and  (b) public law in each of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service regions.

Parmjit Dhanda: These are matters for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). Anthony Douglas, the Chief Executive, has written to my hon. Friend with this information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 20 March 2007:
	I am writing to you in response to the three Parliamentary Questions that you tabled recently:
	126086—To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how long it took on average to produce a section 7 case in respect of Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service proceedings in (a) 2006-07 and (b) each of the preceding five years.
	CAFCASS does not collect information on the duration of cases and has not done so since it was established in 2001. For the last 3 years, CAFCASS has operated to a guideline that a section 7 report will take on average 25 hours to produce. We operate to a standard of 12 weeks in which to file all private law reports. However, local filing agreements are made between CAFCASS teams and their Courts, and these agreements fluctuate from month to month and case to case. The way the 25 hours work will be distributed across the filing period will also vary from case to case. Urgent cases are always dealt with first.
	CAFCASS currently has 72 teams and at 31 January 2007, 30.6% of teams filed their report within 12 weeks. 25% of teams filed within 14 weeks. 43.1% of teams filed within 16 weeks, and 1.3% (1 team) had a filing time of over 16 weeks. This figure varies with demand, for public law cases and other types of reports ordered to be produced by CAFCASS as well as section 7 cases.
	126087—To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether he anticipates any reduction in the number of Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service self-employed contractors in 2006-07.
	CAFCASS expects that the total number of self-employed contractors for 2006-07 will be 400, a reduction of 37 on 2005-06. Exact figures will not be available until after 31 March 2007, the date which marks the end of the financial year.
	126089—To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many vacancies there are for (a) private law and (b) public law in each of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service regions.
	The table below indicates the vacancies as at 31 January 2007. CAFCASS does not categorise practitioners into private and public law.
	
		
			  Region  Vacancies (whole time equivalents) 
			 East Midlands 1.5 
			 Eastern 9.4 
			 Greater London 0 
			 North East 1.85 
			 North West 7.3 
			 South East 1.73 
			 South West 2.5 
			 Southern 4.0 
			 West Midlands 4.0 
			 Yorkshire & Humberside 6.0 
		
	
	A copy of this reply will be placed in the House Library.

Children: Day Care

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether funding for child care is available to parents who accompany their child to the care facility; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Government provide funding to local authorities in the form of a General Sure Start Grant, which can be used to support child care locally. Local authorities are free to support parent and toddler groups, where parents remain with their children throughout the session, if they consider it appropriate to do so.

Children's Centres

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effect of increased competition for child care places following the increase of Sure Start children centres.

Beverley Hughes: Our 10 Year Childcare Strategy has highlighted the need for further Government support to increase the child care options open to parents especially in rural or disadvantaged areas. Since April 2005, our emphasis has been on local authorities sustaining existing good quality child care places rather than creating new ones. While Sure Start children's centres in the most disadvantaged areas must offer integrated early learning and day care provision as part of their core services, we have never intended centres to set up in competition with good existing provision. Local authorities must consult private, voluntary and independent providers when planning their children's centres strategy and, by working in partnership with them, plan to make the best use of the experience and expertise of local providers.
	The Together for Children consortium, appointed by DfES to support local authorities with their ongoing delivery of Sure Start children's centres, are challenging them to maximise their use of private, voluntary and community sector organisations in delivering children's centre services.

Departmental Statistics

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much his Department spent on statistics relating to the work of his Department in each of the last five years.

Alan Johnson: There is no definition of the term "statistics relating to the work of the Department" and no centrally held information on either the volume or costs of statistics published each year on this basis.
	Estimates for the annual costs of National Statistics are contained the relevant National Statistics annual report and accounts, which are available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/product.asp?vlnk=1051 .
	The last year that they were produced was 2004-05.

Education: Surveys

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2007 to question 121412, on the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority curriculum review, if he will place in the Library a copy of the tender document for the contract awarded  (a) to Ipsos Mori,  (b) to surveymonkey and  (c) for the analysis of the responses to the surveymonkey survey.

Jim Knight: Copies of the invitation to tender documents for the contracts awarded to  (a) Ipsos Mori and  (c) for analysis of the responses to the surveymonkey survey, have been placed in the House Library.
	The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority pay an annual subscription to use the surveymonkey technology in its consultations.

English Language: Fees and Charges

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent discussions he has had on the use of certified pay slips as proof of low pay in order to meet the fee remission requirements for English for speakers of other languages courses.

Phil Hope: My hon. Friend the Minister for Higher Education and Lifelong Learning, who is responsible for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), has held initial discussions on the use of pay slips and a raft of other evidence with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). This is ongoing dialogue and is dependant upon the final report of the Race Equality Impact Assessment. Following its publication, the funding mechanisms for colleges and providers will be clarified by the LSC through further guidance.

English Language: Migrant Workers

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what legal advice his Department has received on the legality of admissions tutors deciding whether to accept a prospective migrant worker on to a free literacy course or a fee-paying English for speakers of other languages course.

Phil Hope: Admissions are a matter for individual institutions and the Department for Education and Skills has not sought advice on this specific issue.
	Learning and Skills Council (LSC) guidance to providers is clear that providers should base the acceptance of any learner on to a course based on the outcome of a formal initial assessment of their learning needs and the aspirations of that learner.
	Literacy and ESOL learning programmes are different in terms of the content and learner support they offer and we would expect providers to help learners make the right choice of learning programme based on the potential of the course to meet their needs and enable them to achieve a qualification and progress.

Gershon Review

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what efficiency savings have been made in his Department and its associated public bodies as a result of the Gershon review; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Department is reporting progress against our efficiency target through existing departmental reporting processes. We reported most recently in the Department's 2006 autumn performance report 2005 and will report further progress in the 2007 departmental performance report that we expect to publish in May.

Overseas Students: English Language

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with the Learning and Skills Council on the extension of self declaration as a means of verifying students' eligibility for English for speakers of other languages courses; and what mechanism is in place to ensure that colleges receive funding for such students.

Phil Hope: My hon. Friend the Minister for Higher Education and Lifelong Learning, who is responsible for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), has held initial discussions on eligibility criteria and a raft of other evidence with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). This is ongoing dialogue and is dependent upon the final report of the Race Equality Impact Assessment. Following its publication, the funding mechanisms for colleges and providers will be clarified by the LSC through further guidance.

Schools

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many maintained schools there are in each local authority area in England.

Jim Knight: holding answer 20 March 2007
	The information requested has been placed in the House Library.

Schools: Finance

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the overall balance of the schools budget is in each local education authority in England.

Jim Knight: holding answer 20 March 2007
	In my written ministerial statement of 15 March I announced the publication by the Department of a summary of the data on school balances for the financial years for which information is available—1999-2000 to 2005-06. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House. The information is also available on the Department's website at:
	www.dfes.gov.uk/localauthorities/section52/subPage.cfm ?action=section52.default&ID=58

Training: Parents

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had on provision of support for training to improve parenting skills.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 19 March 2007
	From 2006-08, the Government are funding a number of projects to increase the availability of training for practitioners to work with parents. These projects range from universal services provided through mainstream settings such as extended schools and Sure Start Children's Centres through to early intervention, prevention and targeted commitments in the Respect and Social Exclusion Action Plans. Additionally, we will establish the National Academy for Parenting Practitioners which will enable increased training and dissemination of best practice for the parenting work force. This will result in improved delivery of evidence based parenting programmes. The NAPP will become fully operational in October 2007.

Workers Educational Association

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many courses were run by the Workers Educational Association in its southern region in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2006.

Phil Hope: holding answer 15 March 2007
	The Workers Educational Association (WEA) is a specialised designated institution and has a single national contract to deliver further education, through the London Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The Department is not able to provide information on all the courses run by the WEA. However, the following table provides information on LSC funded learners on WEA courses for 2005/06 (the latest year for which we have complete data). Information for 1997 is estimated from the Further Education Funding Council who were responsible for further education funding prior to the LSC.
	
		
			  Southern region (LSC south-west and LSC south-east) 
			   Number of funded learners 
			 1997 2,609 
			 2005-06 18,570

Youth Opportunity Card

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made in the development of the Youth Opportunity Card.

Beverley Hughes: After careful consideration we no longer intend to run the Youth Opportunity Card pilots. We have carried out, with excellent support from the 10 pilot local authorities, detailed and extensive work to assess whether the Youth Opportunity Card is deliverable and the associated costs, benefits and risks. Our conclusions are that the costs outweigh considerably the money being provided to young people, considerable risks and uncertainties remain and there is no off-the-shelf technological solution or one that can be developed with certainty at the present time.
	Therefore we do not believe that going ahead with the card at this point in time would provide value for money. However, I am absolutely committed to opening up new ways of giving young people the means to make their own choices and a real say over what is provided for them. I want to continue to work with the local authorities to develop alternative means of achieving the same ends.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agricultural Wages Board

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he had with  (a) the chairman and members of the Agricultural Wages Board and  (b) other bodies and persons on his Department's proposal for a regulatory reform order in respect of the board before making the decision to abandon the proposal.

Barry Gardiner: My noble Friend the Lord Whitty, when he was Minister of State, met the chairman and other independent members of the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales on a number of occasions to discuss the future operation of the board. He also met the National Farmers Union and the Transport and General Workers Union. The possible introduction of a regulatory reform order to modernise the legislative framework was discussed at these meetings.

Agricultural Wages Board

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the reasons were for the abandonment of his Department's proposal for a regulatory reform order in respect of the Agricultural Wages Board.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA prioritises activities in the light of competing demands for available resources. The introduction of a regulatory reform order in respect of the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales was not considered to be a high priority in relation to current DEFRA objectives.

Agricultural Wages Board

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the likely change to his Department's budget which would result from abolishing the Agricultural Wages Board and subsuming its functions within the national minimum wage scheme.

Barry Gardiner: It would not be possible to subsume the board's functions within the national minimum wage. In particular the board sets statutory minimum rates for overtime which are not provided for under the national minimum wage arrangements. Loss of statutory protection for overtime would significantly reduce the protection given to agricultural workers and would be contrary to the Government's commitment to maintain the agricultural minimum wage arrangements.

Agricultural Wages Board

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost to his Department was of developing a proposal for a regulatory reform order in respect of the Agricultural Wages Board.

Barry Gardiner: The possible development of a regulatory reform order (RRO) was considered by staff in the DEFRA agricultural wages and labour team. This work was integral to the Department's overall policy considerations in this area and no specific record of time spent on RRO activities was kept.

Agricultural Wages Board

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was of the Agricultural Wages Board in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: The cost of the Agricultural Wages Board in each of the last five financial years was as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2001-02 262,333 
			 2002-03 225,133 
			 2003-04 308,595 
			 2004-05 621,763 
			 2005-06 385,204

Agriculture: Cumbria

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Single Farm Payment Scheme claims  (a) have been adjusted and  (b) are under review in Cumbria.

Barry Gardiner: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 22 February 2007,  Official Report, column 59WS. Detailed analysis of payments made under the 2005 Single Payment Scheme is not yet available.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Single Payment Scheme claims  (a) have been adjusted and  (b) are under review.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 8 March 2007
	I refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 22 February 2007,  Official Report, column 59WS.

Agriculture: Subsidies

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in which agricultural sectors in each EU member state Common Agricultural Policy support remains coupled to production.

Barry Gardiner: This information can be found in the "Overview of the implementation of direct payments under the CAP in Member States" copies of which are available in the House Libraries or on the Europa website at:
	http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/markets/sfp/ms_en.pdf

Animal Welfare

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance he has issued under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 on the distribution of animals as prizes in fairs and fetes.

Ben Bradshaw: The Animal Welfare Act 2006 contains a provision relating to the giving of pets as prizes. The ban has been limited to unaccompanied children under the age of 16. This is in line with another provision which raises the age at which children can buy a pet from 12 to 16.
	The Animal Welfare Act 2006 is accompanied by a set of Explanatory Notes and an additional Guidance Note to help enforcers of the Act. DEFRA has also produced the leaflet, 'Your Duty to Care', for owners and keepers and animals, which sets out the Act's provisions.
	We also plan to make the Guild of Showmen aware of relevant information on the new law, which we have made available on the DEFRA website.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle have been tested for bovine tuberculosis using the gamma interferon test in each English region since October 2006; and how many cattle tested positive to the test in each region.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested, for the period between 23 October 2006 (the launch date of the new policy on the use of the gamma interferon (g-IFN) blood test) and 31 January 2007, is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Animal health divisional office region (England)  Number of animals tested with g-IFN  Number of these animals testing positive for bovine tuberculosis 
			 Carlisle 560 11 
			 Exeter 442 66 
			 Gloucester 13 7 
			 Leicester 1,617 111 
			 Lincoln 373 37 
			 Preston 391 1 
			 Reading 370 16 
			 Reigate 394 8 
			 Stafford 1,496 77 
			 Taunton 864 51 
			 Truro 33 13 
			 Worcester 509 40 
			 Total 7,062 438 
		
	
	Regions are omitted where no sampling has taken place.
	Monthly data on the numbers of cattle g-IFN tested will be available on the DEFRA website shortly.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what account he plans to take of evidence obtained from badger culling operations at Steeple Leaze, Dorset and Thornbury, Gloucestershire in the future development of a bovine TB strategy.

Ben Bradshaw: We are taking into account all the available evidence in considering a way forward on badger culling, including the badger culling operations at Steeple Leaze, Dorset and Thornbury, Gloucestershire. However, there were no scientific controls set up at the time of these operations. The Krebs review pointed out that the scientific merit of the results was limited because controls allow us to reduce the impact of possible confounding factors on the results observed. In the absence of scientific controls, it is not possible to distinguish the contribution of such factors from the effects of badger removal.
	However, the review also suggested that both a before and after comparison, and a comparison with incidence in geographically close areas where no contemporary systematic removal of badgers occurred, provide useful information about the effect of culling.
	A complete assessment of previous tuberculosis (TB) control strategies can be found in the 1997 'Report on Bovine Tuberculosis in Cattle and Badgers' by Professor John Krebs and the Independent Scientific Review Group, which is available in the House Library.

Cattle: Transport

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many live calves were transported across Great Britain in 2006 and January 2007 in the course of being exported from the Republic of Ireland to the continent; how many of those calves were unloaded at a staging point or control post in Great Britain and given food, liquid and at least 24 hours rest; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he takes to ensure that live calves that are transported from the Republic of Ireland via Larne and Great Britain to the continent are unloaded at a control post in Great Britain and given food, liquid and at least 24 hours rest; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The export health papers and journey logs are issued by the Republic of Ireland authorities so this information is not readily available. It may be possible to provide some information on the number of cattle which have transited the United Kingdom from Ireland via the TRACES (Trade Control and Expert System) database. This is not currently functional, but I will write to my hon. Friend when information becomes available.
	It is the responsibility of the Republic of Ireland authorities to check that transporters factor in any required rest stops into their planned journeys when approving journey logs for journeys starting in Ireland. Staff at Dover have a target of checking at least 30 per cent. of cattle leaving the country for slaughter or fattening. Any Irish cattle inspected and found not to have complied with the journey and rest time requirements will be returned to a control post to take a minimum 24 hour rest before continuing their journey.

Claims Annual Report

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's Claims Annual Report 2005-06; and when the next report is due to be published.

Barry Gardiner: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs does not, as a matter of course, prepare a Claims Annual Report. There is no plan to publish such a report.

Departments: Air Pollution

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate has been made of the carbon footprint of his Department.

Ian Pearson: Carbon emissions from the DEFRA estate and its business travel over the last five years is given in the following table where data are available.
	
		
			  Total carbon emissions 
			  Tonnes 
			   Buildings  Business travel  Total 
			 2001-02 12,063 (1)— 12,063 
			 2002-03 12,033 (2)6,072 18,105 
			 2003-04 11,888 (2)5,403 17,291 
			 2004-05 11,732 (2)5,750 17,482 
			 2005-06 12,548 (3)7,445 19,993 
			 (1. )Not known (2 )Carbon emissions from road vehicles (3 )Carbon emissions from road vehicles and air travel Buildings 
		
	
	 Buildings
	There has been a temporary increase in the size of the DEFRA estate while refurbishment works have been undertaken. DEFRA is seeking to reduce the size of its estate, and is working with the Carbon Trust to implement a Carbon Management Programme which will maximise energy efficiency and carbon saving.
	The Department is working with the Carbon Trust to develop a carbon footprint label for each building on the DEFRA estate.
	 Business Travel
	Reporting mechanisms to capture carbon emissions from all forms of business travel (road, air and rail) will be available for financial year 2006-07.
	The Department offsets air travel (from April 2005), rail travel (from June 2006) and will offset vehicle travel from June (2007).
	 Carbon Footprint Reporting
	It is the Department's intention to publish its carbon footprint later this year.

Departments: Meat

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what account he takes of animal welfare standards in the countries from which food procured by his Department is produced.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA ensures its catering services providers supply meat that satisfies EC meat hygiene and animal welfare regulations. DEFRA ensures its catering services providers specify farm assurance standards in accordance with the model clause in DEFRA's catering services toolkit.

Farmers: Income

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of changes in the average income of farmers in each sector of the farming industry in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: The average net farm income for all types of farms in the United Kingdom is expected to be around £20,600 in 2006-07, about 20 per cent. higher than 2005-06 in real terms. Incomes are forecast to have doubled for cereals and general cropping farms due to better prices for crops, while lowland livestock farms and mixed farms also benefited from improved prices. Specialist poultry, specialist pigs and dairy farm incomes are expected to fall, as are incomes for less favoured area (LFA) grazing livestock farms. Figures for the net farm income by type of farm in each of the last five years are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Average net farm income per farm (£/farm) at current prices 
			  Farm type  2002-03( 1)  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  Annual percentage change 2006-07/2005-06 
			 Cereals 11,000 33,500 13,600 12,700 27,900 119.7 
			 General cropping 11,700 50,800 26,400 22,500 49,300 119.1 
			 Dairy 14,200 21,100 23,700 24,500 19,700 -19.6 
			 Grazing livestock (lowland) 6,700 7,100 5,300 4,100 7,700 87.8 
			 Grazing livestock (LFA) 13,000 14,300 13,000 9,300 9,300 0.0 
			 Specialist pigs 23,500 32,100 25,100 29,000 24,500 -15.5 
			 Specialist poultry 83,500 49,900 89,700 97,500 77,200 -20.8 
			 Mixed 10,400 22,600 14,800 15,600 20,800 33.3 
			 All types (including horticulture) 13,700 23,900 17,900 17,100 21,300 24.6 
			 (1) Net farm income accounting years end on average in February  Source: Farm Business Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Average net farm income per farm (£/farm) in real terms at 2005-06 prices 
			  Farm type  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  Annual percentage change 2006-07/2005-06 
			 Cereals 12,000 35,500 14,000 12,700 27,000 112.6 
			 General cropping 12,700 53,800 27,100 22,500 47,700 112.0 
			 Dairy 15,500 22,300 24,300 24,500 19,100 -22.0 
			 Grazing livestock (lowland) 7,300 7,500 5,400 4,100 7,500 82.9 
			 Grazing livestock (LFA) 14,200 15,100 13,400 9,300 9,000 -3.2 
			 Specialist pigs 25,600 34,000 25,800 29,000 23,700 -18.3 
			 Specialist poultry 90,900 52,800 92,100 97,500 74,700 -23.4 
			 Mixed 11,300 23,900 15,200 15,600 20,100 28.8 
			 All types (including horticulture) 14,900 25,300 18,400 17,100 20,600 20.5 
			  Source: Farm Business Survey

Fly Tipping

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the total cost of fly-tipping to landowners in each region; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 19 March 2007
	DEFRA does not hold data on the clear-up costs of fly-tipping to private landowners by region, and no estimate has been made.
	Currently, Flycapture, the national fly-tipping database, set up by DEFRA, the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association, collects data on the incidents dealt with and investigated by local authorities and the Environment Agency.
	The cost of clearing illegally dumped waste reported by local authorities between April 2004 and March 2005 was over £44 million. For the period between April 2005 and March 2006, the cost was almost £50 million.
	However, it is estimated that the costs of clearing fly-tipping on private land could increase the 2005-2006 clearance costs to over £100 million.

Fly Tipping

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward proposals to compensate landowners for costs they incur in disposing of fly-tipped material; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 19 March 2007
	The Government have been working closely with the Environment Agency (EA) and local authorities (LAs) to bring forward a number of policies and measures that are aimed at preventing fly-tipping in the first place, and to ensure more effective enforcement. For example, the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 contains several measures that are designed to enhance the powers and capability of LAs and the EA to tackle fly-tipping.
	One of these measures involved giving courts the power to make an order against anyone convicted of the main offence of illegal waste disposal to pay for costs incurred by a landowner in removing waste that has been illegally deposited.
	In many cases, LAs will often work with landowners to deal with repeated incidents of fly-tipping and to tackle specific problems or issues. I am also aware of the good work being done by the National Fly-tipping Prevention Group, which has been working closely with organisations like the National Farmers Union, the Country Land and Business Association, Network Rail and the National Trust. The Group has recently produced guidance to landowners on how to deal with fly-tipping and gives tips and ideas for ways in which joint working can help tackle hot-spot areas.

Fly Tipping

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on the cost of fly- tipping to landowners; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 19 March 2007
	Some representations have been received by the Department on this issue.
	At a national level, the Environment Agency (EA) and DEFRA meet quarterly with major interested organisations including the National Farmers Union, the Country Land and Business Association, Network Rail and the National Trust through the National Fly-tipping Prevention Group. The Group's objective is to generally explore ways of improving the system of controls on fly-tipping and to identify better ways of preventing and tackling the problem.
	The Group has issued guidance to landowners on how to deal with fly-tipping and also discusses ways in which joint working can help tackle the hot-spot areas where repeated fly-tipping is taking place. This can often be tackled by co-ordinated action from the landowner and the local authority or EA.

Horses: Transport

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's policy is on the live export of horses for slaughter; and what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on this issue.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government share the British public's concern over any trade in the export of horses for slaughter. The export of horses is legal under free trade rules and could not be unilaterally banned. However, there is no evidence of such a trade from this country; no horses have been exported for slaughter for many years and there is no evidence of any demand for a trade in live horse exports for slaughter from this country.
	This issue has not arisen in any recent discussions with my EU counterparts. However, EC Regulation 1/2005 on the welfare of animals during transport came into effect on 5 January 2007. This includes new rules which should restrict such a trade by requiring, among other things, that unbroken horses may only travel for up to eight hours.

Landfill

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the household waste material collected as part of doorstep recycling collections by local authorities that is subsequently disposed of by the local authority or commercial contractors in landfill counts as landfill for the purposes of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme.

Ben Bradshaw: Household waste material collected by local authorities as part of doorstep recycling, but subsequently disposed of by a waste disposal authority (WDA) or a commercial contractor to landfill, counts towards a WDA's allowances under the Landfill Allowances Trading Scheme (LATS).

Plastics: Recycling

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of plastic waste from  (a) industrial,  (b) residential and  (c) agricultural sources was recycled for (i) new plastics and (ii) fuel in the last period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Recycled plastic waste, usually derived from a number of sector sources, can displace virgin material in the production of a variety of different products. My Department does not therefore hold precise figures for the percentage of plastic from individual sectors recycled and used in the production of new plastics or for fuel.
	Latest estimates from WasteDataFlow show that 38,000 tonnes of plastic waste from household sources were sent for recycling in 2005-06. Compositional analyses of household waste suggest that around 4 per cent. is dense plastic (e.g. bottles, packaging), equating to around 1 million tonnes in 2005-06. This suggests that around 4 per cent. of plastic in the household waste stream was sent for recycling.
	A report published by the Environment Agency, 'Recycling Agricultural Waste Plastic', estimated that around 87 thousand tonnes of plastic waste arises from the agricultural sector in England, with approximately 1 per cent. of this being recycled.
	Detailed information for industrial plastic waste is not available.

Regeneration

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of his Department's spending was devoted to  (a) urban and  (b) rural regeneration and redevelopment in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05 and (iii) 2005-06.

Barry Gardiner: The Government are committed to building a strong economy and fair society where there is opportunity and security for all. This commitment applies equally in rural and urban areas. The majority of the Department's programmes benefit both rural and urban areas. However, the cost of these programmes attributable to regeneration and redevelopment could not be identified without disproportionate cost.
	Sustainable rural communities are one of DEFRA's five strategic priorities which underpin its overarching aim of promoting sustainable development. This will be achieved in part by encouraging sustainable regeneration in disadvantaged rural areas. Details of delivery against all of DEFRA's strategic priorities can be found in the departmental report.

Single Farm Payments

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many  (a) extra payments and  (b) refunds have been made as a result of adjustments to 2005 Single Payment Scheme claims; and what the total value of each category was;
	(2)  what proportion of 2005 single payment scheme claims have been adjusted; and what proportion are under review.

Barry Gardiner: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 22 February 2007,  Official Report, column 59WS. The priority has been to correct claims where it has been determined an extra payment is required. So far approximately 3,100 extra payments with a value of over £2,865,000 have been processed and approximately 700 overpayments with a value of £1,185,000 have been identified for recovery.

Single Farm Payments

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what change there has been in the number of  (a) cattle,  (b) pigs and  (c) sheep reared on farms in England since the introduction of the single farm payment.

Barry Gardiner: The number of cattle, pigs and sheep in England at June each year is shown in the following table. This information can be found on the DEFRA website at:
	http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/statnot/juneeng.pdf
	
		
			  Number of animals 
			  Thousand 
			   2004( 1)  2005  2006 
			  (a) Total cattle 5,679 5,527 5,378 
			  (b) Total pigs 4,234 3,959 4,057 
			  (c) Total sheep 15,873 15,877 15,673 
			 (1) Pre single payment scheme  Source: June Agricultural Survey

Tyres: Recycling

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has undertaken into the feasibility of tyre pyrolysis for diesel production as a way of recycling tyres; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which this technology is being used in the UK.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has not undertaken any research into the feasibility of tyre pyrolysis for diesel production as a way of recycling tyres or carried out any assessment on the extent to which this type of technology is used in this country. However, the Environment Agency has carried out some research to gather data on the general pyrolysis process, but this has not looked specifically at the feasibility of tyre pyrolysis for diesel production.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what average charge each local authority made for bulk waste doorstep collection in the last year for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The data requested are not held centrally.
	Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA), waste collection authorities (WCA) are able to charge households for the collection of some wastes prescribed by the Secretary of State as listed in the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992. This includes any article which exceeds 25 kilograms in weight or any article that does not fit, or cannot be fitted, into the receptacle provided. However, section 45 (3) of the EPA restricts the amount that can be charged by the WCA for the service.
	In practice, many local authorities provide a free household collection service for bulky waste, or make provision for those on low incomes.

Waste Management

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government plan to publish their waste strategy.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government are planning to publish their waste strategy for England in May.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

10 Downing Street

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many requests from hon. Members to bring constituents to visit 10 Downing street were acceded to in each of the last 10 years, broken down by political party of the hon. Member.

Hilary Armstrong: The information requested is not held centrally. However, hon. Members from all parties are invited on a rolling programme to nominate and accompany a small group of children from their constituencies to have tea at No. 10 Downing street. Hon. Members are invited to select, in a fair and open way, children who have a particular interest in visiting No. 10 Downing street. Since 1998 approximately 450 MPs have accepted invitations for children to come for tea.

Departments: Advertising

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what her Department's total spending was on advertising and promotional campaigns in each year since 1997; and what the cost of each campaign was, broken down by costs relating to  (a) television,  (b) radio and  (c) print media.

Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 27 February 2006,  Official Report, columns 39-40W and to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office to the Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes) on 11 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1822-23W.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Angola

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings she had with her Angolan counterpart in 2006.

Ian McCartney: There were no formal meetings with the Angolan Foreign Minister, Dr. João Bernardo Miranda, in 2006. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, held discussions with Foreign Minister Miranda on 26 January this year in the margins of the African Union Summit and subsequently met the Angolan Vice Minister of the Interior, General Martins, who was in the UK on a visit sponsored by the Government.

Austria: Lichtenstein

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Austrian counterpart on the recent transfer of territory from Austria to Lichtenstein; and whether approval for such a transfer is required at an EU level.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with the Austrian Foreign Minister on the territorial integrity of Austria and Liechtenstein. There has been no transfer of territory between the two countries. Modern land measuring technology has recently proved that Liechtenstein's borders are slightly longer than previously thought.

Bangladesh

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Government of Bangladesh regarding the security of  (a) Sheik Hasina and  (b) the British High Commissioner there; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We have made no representations to the caretaker Government of Bangladesh with regard to the security of the leaders of any of the political parties. We have, however, raised our concerns over the security of our High Commissioner in Dhaka based on our duty of care towards all UK diplomats serving worldwide.

Belarus

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking in the UN Security Council with regard to sanctions on Belarus.

Geoff Hoon: Previous attempts to discuss Belarus at the UN Security Council have not met with success, due to objections by Russia. We have no current plans to raise this subject in the UN Security Council.
	Current EU restrictions imposed after the recent fraudulent elections are designed in such a way that they can be targeted towards the regime, not the people of Belarus. A decision to renew these EU measures for a further 12 months was cleared by parliamentary scrutiny in March this year.

Brazil: Ethanol

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she has had discussions with ministerial colleagues in the Department of Trade and Industry on the purchase of ethanol from Brazil; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Discussions have not taken place between Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Ministers about the purchase of ethanol from Brazil.
	There are, however, regular discussions between senior officials of the FCO, DTI and other Government Departments on climate and energy security issues. Ethanol could be key to UK objectives in both areas, and has featured regularly in these discussions. The Government also maintain a regular dialogue with the Brazilians, the European Commission, the International Energy Agency and others on ethanol production and trade.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed Brazilian ethanol with the Brazilian Foreign and Trade and Development Ministers during her visit to Brazil in July 2006. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry visited an ethanol plant with the Brazilian Trade and Development Minister during his visit to Brazil in September 2006.

Burma: Foreign Investment

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make it her policy to ban investment in Burma from  (a) the UK and  (b) British Dependent Territories; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We favour multilateral sanctions, such as those included in the EU Common Position on Burma, because they have a greater practical impact and send a stronger political signal. Any changes would need the support of all EU member states as the Common Position can only be amended by consensus.
	The Common Position includes a ban on investment in or the provision of financial services to certain Burmese state-owned enterprises. The ban is in force in the UK and British Overseas Territories. Companies incorporated or constituted in the British Overseas Territories need to comply with the law, or risk prosecution.
	We give no support to companies wishing to invest in Burma. British companies who enquire about trade and investment in Burma are informed of the political situation and the regime's record on human rights. A copy of the EU Common Position on Burma is available in the Library of the House.

Burma: Sequestration of Assets

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will freeze the UK assets of  (a) the government and  (b) state-owned enterprises of Burma; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The assets of senior members of the Burmese Government and those who benefit from their policies, as listed in Annexe I to the EU Common Position on Burma, are already frozen. The Common Position also bans investment in the named state-owned enterprises listed in Annexe II.
	We believe that the present EU Common Position on Burma is the best achievable policy, given the range of views amongst our partners. Any additional measures would need the support of all other EU member states as the Common Position can only be amended by consensus. We do not believe that there would be consensus to strengthen the Common Position. A copy of the EU Common Position on Burma is available in the Library of the House.

Convention on the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she expects to ratify the United Nations convention on the non-navigational uses of international watercourses.

Ian McCartney: The UK did not sign the convention while it was open for signature, and the Government have no immediate plans to accede to it.

Corruption

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on tackling corruption.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no such discussions this year. However officials, including from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, participate with officials from other countries in regular meetings of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Working Group on Bribery. This met on 16-18 January and again on 12-14 March.

Corruption

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the UK's compliance with obligations to tackle corruption under Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development agreements.

Ian McCartney: The UK's progress report on our implementation of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Bribery Convention, following up on the recommendations contained in the OECD's "phase two review" of March 2005, was one of the items discussed at the Working Group on Bribery plenary meeting of 12-14 March. During a debate in the House on 7 February my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs undertook to publish this report after the meeting,  Official Report, column 908. This has been done and copies of the report are available in the Library of the House.

Croatia

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations the Government has made to Croatia on the process of returning confiscated homes to Serbian people.

Geoff Hoon: Croatia must continue to address the issue of returning Serb refugees. Much progress has been made in repossessing properties occupied during the 1991-95 conflict, building new houses for returning Serbs and reconstructing housing destroyed during the fighting. The Government have also started providing social housing for those Croatian Serbs who lost their tenancy rights during the conflict. But the process needs to be accelerated, and this issue remains an important feature of the EU's political dialogue with Croatia. In addition our ambassador in Zagreb maintains a regular dialogue with the Croatian Government on this and other issues.

Croatia

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she expects Croatia to be able to join the EU.

Geoff Hoon: The EU has not set a target date for Croatian accession. Croatia is making good progress in its accession negotiations. It has provisionally closed two chapters and opened a further three out of a total of 35. We strongly support EU enlargement and Croatia's EU accession as soon as it has made the necessary preparations and met fully the conditions of membership.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The security situation in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains fragile, particularly in the Kivus, Ituri and northern Katanga. Bas-Congo and Kinshasa are calm, but tensions there between Government forces and other groups remain.
	Ill-disciplined and poorly-paid Congolese armed forces present the greatest threat to civilians in some areas. Congolese and foreign militias also abuse local populations in eastern DRC. We continue to push for improved security sector reform and military training, to ensure that the Congolese army protects the population. We continue to encourage the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC to take robust action against armed groups that threaten civilians.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the political situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ian McCartney: A new Congolese government was named on 5 February, and announced its programme on 22 February, along with a "Governance Contract", to be adopted by parliament as a framework for the government's future work programme. This should help to improve the government's transparency and accountability. New Ministers have now taken up office and the National Assembly will shortly begin legislative business.
	There remain many challenges for the government, notably reforming the security sector, reducing corruption, delivering services to the people and improving regional relations.
	We have raised several times with the government, including at presidential level, the need for opposition groups to be granted sufficient political and legal space in which to operate, and for freedom of expression to be improved and respected.

Departments: Postal Services

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which postal companies handle mail dispatched by her Department and its agencies.

Kim Howells: The British Forces Post Office handle and screen incoming mail on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). They also process outgoing and incoming diplomatic bags.
	The Royal Mail and DHL Express are used for the dispatch of FCO mail within the UK. DHL Globe Forwarding is used for the dispatch of the diplomatic bags to our overseas missions. Overseas missions use a local (usually international) company to despatch diplomatic bags to London.

Departments: Publicity

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her Department's total spending was on advertising and promotional campaigns in each year since 1997; and what the cost of each campaign was, broken down by costs relating to  (a) television,  (b) radio and  (c) print media.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not keep a central record of amounts spent on advertising and promotional campaigns. This information, and the costs of each campaign broken down by costs relating to television, radio and print media, could be obtained only by requiring individual budget holders to examine all invoices for the last 10 years. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Djibouti

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions  (a) she and  (b) Ministers in her Department had with the government of Djibouti in 2006; and what (i) discussions and (ii) visits at official level were undertaken.

Ian McCartney: There were no discussions between UK and Djibouti Ministers in 2006. However, our Ambassador to Djibouti, based at the British Embassy in Addis Ababa, and officials had regular discussions with Djibouti government officials in 2006. The Ambassador visited Djibouti every three months and maintained friendly and cordial relations with the Djibouti Foreign Minister, Mr. Mahamoud Ali Youssouf.
	On 26 April 2006, Mr. Rachad Farah, the Djibouti Ambassador based in Paris had talks with senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials in London and on 21 June 2006, the Djibouti Foreign Minister visited the UK and discussed bilateral and regional issues with senior FCO officials.

Egypt: Sudan

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Egyptian counterpart on Egyptian-Sudanese disputed border territory in south-eastern Egypt.

Kim Howells: While my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had discussions on Sudan with her Egyptian counterpart, she has not discussed this specific issue with him. The UK continues to follow developments at official level, although neither the Egyptian nor the Sudanese government has raised the matter with our embassies. The UK maintains a full and productive dialogue with Egypt on a range of Sudan-related issues.

Embassies: Expenditure

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total cost was of maintaining UK embassies in the last year for which figures are available.

Geoff Hoon: The total cost of building maintenance for our missions overseas in financial year 2005-06 was £44.9 million.

Human Trafficking: EU Countries

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on human trafficking through new EU entrance countries.

Kim Howells: Human trafficking through the EU is an issue which has been raised regularly at EU Councils and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has discussed it with a number of EU partners bilaterally. Human trafficking has not been on the agenda of formal Council meetings since the accession of Bulgaria and Romania. However, the principal work at EU level to tackle human trafficking is being taken forward at official level on the basis of the EU action plan on human trafficking which was adopted during the UK Presidency of the EU. The EU action plan provides a comprehensive approach to tackling this problem and the impact it has on its victims. A report on progress is due to be received before the end of 2007. The UK's action plan on tackling trafficking in human beings, which will be published soon, reflects the work being done by the UK. The UK announced on 22 January its intention to sign the Council of Europe Convention on trafficking in human beings; both Bulgaria and Romania, the newest EU member states, have signed the Convention and Romania has additionally ratified it.

Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on US Democrat policy of troop withdrawal from Iraq.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary receives regular reports on US politics, both the administration's and opposition's policies, from our embassy in Washington, including on the recent action by Democrats to table legislation calling for US troop withdrawal in Iraq.

Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what the membership is of the working group for security and border security agreed at the expanded regional neighbours' meeting in Baghdad on 10 March; what the objectives are of the group; and what she plans the role of the UK to be;
	(2)  what the membership is of the working groups on  (a) energy and electricity and  (b) refugees agreed at the 10 March expanded regional neighbours' meeting in Baghdad; what the objectives are of each group; and what she expects the role of the UK to be on each.

Kim Howells: The Government of Iraq has not finalised the membership or structure of the working groups, but we expect those neighbours with a relevant interest to participate. The UK is ready to assist if invited by the Government of Iraq.
	For each group the common objectives are to improve co-operation and co-ordination between Iraq and its neighbours.

Kosovo: Refugees

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations her Department has made to the authorities in Kosovo on the return of Serbian Kosovans to their homes.

Geoff Hoon: The United Kingdom continues to work closely with the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to encourage the Kosovo authorities to implement the UN standards for Kosovo, including on sustainable returns and the rights of communities. The recent UNMIK standards assessment of 9 March 2007 (further information can be found at:
	http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N07/252/54/PDF/N0725254.pdf?OpenElernent)
	demonstrates the progress made in all areas of the standards process.
	The United Kingdom has committed £1.5 million over two years, along with funding from the UN Development programme and UN High Commission for Refugees, to a project to support the rapid return of minority communities to their homes. The Kosovo Government is the single largest donor to the returns process, having contributed £22 million since 2003. Projects implemented by Kosovo's municipalities helped 141 Serb families to return to Kosovo during 2006.
	The United Kingdom does not take this progress for granted, and we would like to see more intensive progress. Work on standards will not end with a status settlement; it will continue as an important obligation to be taken forward by the Kosovo Government. We continue to press the Serbian Government to support the return of Kosovo Serbs and will work with partners on the ground in Kosovo to support the conditions for their return.

Mauritania: Elections

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whom her Department has appointed as election observers for parliamentary observers in Mauritania.

Kim Howells: The first round of the Mauritanian presidential elections took place on 11 March. Officials from our embassy in Rabat were in Mauritania to observe the elections.
	The European Union sent a large Election Observation Mission to Mauritania. The Mission issued a press release on 14 March praising the transparent and calm manner in which the elections were conducted and expressing satisfaction that the overall results corresponded to the wishes of voters. The second round of the presidential elections will take place on 25 March.

Morocco

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had in the UN Security Council on the attempt by Morocco to reclaim the territory of Ceuta in northern Morocco; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has held no discussions in the UN Security Council about Ceuta.

Namibia

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Namibian counterpart on the future of the Caprivi Strip in north east Namibia; and whether she has received representations from Caprivi separatists on this matter.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed the future of the Caprivi Strip with the Namibian government. Our High Commission in Windhoek continues to monitor developments linked to the Caprivi Strip, including the ongoing court case of 12 individuals accused of separatist activities.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what personal involvement she has taken in negotiations with the North Korean regime on its nuclear weapons programme.

Ian McCartney: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) nuclear weapons programme is a key focus for the Six Party Talks (6PT). While we remain profoundly concerned by the nuclear test conducted on 9 October 2006, the agreement reached at the latest round of talks on 13 February is a step in the right direction towards the peaceful denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, proving that diplomatic negotiations are the way forward. Although not a member of the 6PT, the UK is fully supportive of this process and will continue to urge the DPRK to fulfil the commitments it has entered into under the February agreement, as well as comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1718 and resume its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Tanzania: BAE Systems

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has received from the Tanzanian government on the repayment of money paid for BAE Radar Systems.

Ian McCartney: We have not received any representations from the Tanzanian government about the repayment of money paid for the BAE Radar System.

Tibet: Human Rights

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her Chinese counterpart on human rights in Tibet.

Ian McCartney: We regularly raise our concerns on the human rights situation in Tibet with the Chinese Government. We did this most recently at the 15th round of the UK-China human rights dialogue, which took place in London on 5 February.

Turkey: EU Enlargement

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made on Turkish membership of the EU.

Geoff Hoon: Following the General Affairs and External Relations Council in December 2006, momentum in Turkey's accession process has been re-established. Steady progress is being made under the German presidency on individual chapters of the acquis. We will support the efforts of the presidency to ensure that this continues.

Western Sahara

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there are plans for the territory of Western Sahara to be recognised by the UK as a sovereign independent country; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The UK regards the status of Western Sahara as undetermined, pending UN efforts to find a solution. To this end, the UK fully supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General, and his Personal Envoy to Western Sahara, Peter Van Walsum, to assist the parties to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.
	On 31 October 2006, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted UN Security Council Resolution 1720, which renewed the mandate for the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara until 30 April 2007. The Government supported this and will continue to encourage all parties to engage with the UN process.

Zimbabwe

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the current economic situation in Zimbabwe.

Ian McCartney: The economic situation in Zimbabwe is dire. The official rate of inflation is now in excess of 1,700 per cent. although most reliable estimates place it in excess of 3,000 per cent., there is 80 per cent. unemployment and the country, which was once the breadbasket of southern Africa, is now dependant on food relief to feed its own people. The responsibility for this rests fully with Mugabe and until there is a much-needed change of policy, the economic disintegration of Zimbabwe is set to continue.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department will take to ensure that the next presidential election in Zimbabwe in 2008 will be free and fair.

Ian McCartney: We will continue to give practical support to civil society organisations committed to increasing democratic space in Zimbabwe. But it is for the Government of Zimbabwe ultimately to ensure that Zimbabwe's next presidential elections are free and fair, and that the ordinary people of Zimbabwe are allowed to exercise their democratic right to elect a leader of their choice.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports she has received on the arrest and treatment of Morgan Tsvangirai by the Government of Zimbabwe; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: Our embassy in Harare has kept us informed of what has been happening to Morgan Tsvangirai and those others who were detained and badly beaten on 11 March. All have now been released and are receiving medical treatment.
	As has already been made clear in statements by both my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, we utterly condemn the violent and unwarranted action taken by the Government of Zimbabwe against peaceful campaigners exercising their democratic right to voice their opinions.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the political situation in Zimbabwe.

Ian McCartney: We are in regular contact with our EU partners on the political situation in Zimbabwe. They share our concerns and, like us, are pressing for policy change in Zimbabwe and an end to the country's deepening economic and humanitarian crisis. Only last month, EU partners agreed to maintain and strengthen EU targeted measures against Zimbabwe for a further year.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to her Department on the treatment of opposition members in Zimbabwe by the government of that country.

Ian McCartney: None. But my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, summoned the Zimbabwean ambassador on 13 March and made our views of the horrific events on the preceding day perfectly clear. In the last few days, we have also spoken to a number of EU, African and other countries about the situation in Zimbabwe and have discussed the need for more pressure to be applied on Mugabe to change his policies.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Amphetamines

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence there is from UK seizures of illicit drugs and their precursors on the use of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine from over-the-counter medicines in the manufacture of methamphetamine in the UK.

Vernon Coaker: There has been increasing concern from the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Serious Organised Crime Agency that pseudoephedrine and ephedrine can be extracted from over the counter remedies relatively easily and used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
	The police have identified in specific cases that multiple packs of particular pharmacy pseudoephedrine containing products had been purchased and used in the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine. They have also identified that, in part, packs were obtained from numerous pharmacies to obtain adequate quantities for manufacturing.
	In January, the Commission on Human Medicines recommended that changing the legal status of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine to a prescription only medicine together with restricting the pack size was necessary to protect public health in the UK and that a consultation exercise should be conducted on these proposals. Department of Health Ministers accepted this advice and a full public consultation exercise was commenced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on 7 March 2007 and can be accessed via the MHRA's website:
	www.mhra.gov.uk.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Gloucestershire

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued by each division of Gloucestershire constabulary in each of the last five years; and how many of them were breached in each year.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 14 March 2007
	Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) are issued by the courts. The number of ASBOs issued at all courts in Gloucestershire, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, and the number proven in court to have been breached, up to 31 December 2005 (latest available) is in the table.
	
		
			  Number of antisocial behaviour orders issued in each year at ail courts in the Gloucestershire Criminal Justice System (CJS) area and the number that were proven in court to have been breached in each year, for orders issued between 1 January 2001 and  31 December 2005 (latest available) 
			   ASBOs issued in year  ASBOs breached in year( 1, 2) 
			 2001 2 1 
			 2002 1 1 
			 2003 7 5 
			 2004 26 13 
			 2005 30 37 
			 (1) ASBOs may be issued in one area and breached in another. In this table breaches of ASBOs issued in Gloucestershire are counted irrespective of the area in which the breach occurred.  (2) An ASBO can be issued in one year and breached in another.   Notes:  1. It is possible for an individual to breach their ASBO in more than one year, so persons may be counted more than once in this table.  2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.   Source:  (Issued): As reported to the Home Office by the Court Service. (Breached): OCJR Court Proceedings Database.

Biometrics

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to check facial images taken for the purposes of biometric passports or identity cards against CCTV footage from unsolved crimes.

John Reid: There are no plans currently to do so.

Domestic Violence: Durham

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of domestic violence were reported in  (a) County Durham and  (b) Easington constituency in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Although the Home Office collects data on the number of reported domestic violence incidents by police force area, it does not routinely collect these data at constituency level. However, the Government Office for the north east has provided the following data:
	
		
			   County Durham  Easington 
			 2001-02 6,036 1,477 
			 2002-03 6,409 1,413 
			 2003-04 6,538 1,265 
			 2004-05 7,206 1,305 
			 2005-06 6,508 1,378

Electronic Tagging

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were subject to electronic monitoring whilst on bail in each of the last two years; and how many of these people were charged with violent crimes.

John Reid: The following table sets out the number of separate occasions on which courts imposed an electronically monitored curfew requirement as a condition of bail in each of the last two financial years in England and Wales. The figures have been provided by the two electronic monitoring suppliers G4S and SERCO.
	
		
			  Total number of times courts imposed a curfew with electronic monitoring as a bail condition 
			  Financial year  Number 
			 2005-06 8,548 
			 2006-07 (to 31 January 2007) 14,104 
		
	
	Data on defendants subject to electronic monitoring while charged with violent crimes are not collected centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Electronic Tagging

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times he has written to members of the judiciary on the subject of electronic monitoring of people whilst on bail in the last 12 months.

John Reid: I have not written to members of the judiciary on the subject of electronic monitoring of defendants while on bail in the last 12 months.

Identity Cards

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral answer from the Minister for Immigration of 19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1, on identity cards, if he will publish the research and briefing documents on which his statement that 70 per cent. of the costs of identity cards will be spent on introducing biometric passports is based.

John Reid: Cost estimates for the national identity scheme are outlined every six months in cost reports laid before Parliament pursuant to section 37 of the Identity Cards Act 2006. The first such report was published in October 2006 and is available at:
	http://www.identitycards.gov.uk/news-publications-legislative.asp

Immigration: Criminal Records

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of the absence of data on offences committed abroad by foreign nationals on the adequacy of risk assessments of those individuals by the Immigration Service.

Liam Byrne: The review announced by right hon. Friend the Home Secretary will consider how information about criminality is recorded and shared both within the UK and between the UK and other countries as well as how such information is used to protect the public.

Immigration: Northern Ireland

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) non-EEA residence card (Form EEA 2) and  (b) permanent residence card (Form EEA 4) applications are being considered by his Department from each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland; and how many of these applications were submitted more than 14 weeks ago.

Liam Byrne: This information would be available only by examination of individual records at a disproportionate cost

Immigration: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) each port and airport in Northern Ireland have been detected as in alleged breach of the Immigration Rules (i) in each of the past four years and (ii) in the current year to date.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 7 March 2007
	We are unable to provide the figures for immigration offenders detected in Northern Ireland by the Local Enforcement Office (LEO) for the years requested as they form part of the national picture and therefore cannot be quantified.

Members: Correspondence

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the letter of 5 February 2007 from the hon. Member for Beaconsfield.

John Reid: I wrote to the hon. Member on 19 March 2007.

Open Prisons: Drugs

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were found to be in possession of narcotics in each open prison in each of the last two years.

John Reid: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 March 2007,  Official Report, column 302W.

Parking Offences

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parking penalties were issued in the area of each local authority in England with parking responsibility in 2006; and what percentage change this represents from the equivalent figures for 2000.

Vernon Coaker: Information on penalty charge notices issued by local authorities operating decriminalised parking enforcements were first published in 2002 and can be found in the annual Home Office publication 'Offences relating to motor vehicles, England and Wales, Supplementary tables' (latest available covers 2004)— Tables 22(a) and 22(b) refers. The publication is available on the Research Development and Statistics (RDS) website. Copies of the publication are also available in the Library.
	2005 data will be available later this year; 2006 data will be available in 2008.

Passports

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1514-5W, on passports, if he will list the organisations using the Passport Validation Service.

John Reid: The Passport Validation Service (PVS) is used by organisations from both the private and public sector.
	Public sector customers include the Criminal Records Bureau, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Department of Work and Pensions, e-Borders, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, HM Revenue and Customs, Immigration and Nationality Directorate and the Police.
	Within the private sector, organisations regulated by the Financial Services Authority have to comply with the "Know Your Customer" requirements in order to guard against money laundering. As part of meeting these requirements, many financial institutions already check passports of individuals as part of opening accounts or taking out loans.
	PVS offers such institutions the ability to ensure that these checks are more effective and secure by confirming whether the passport presented is a valid passport and has not been reported as lost or stolen. Thus, this provides a deterrent against fraud and forgery. Private sector organisations using PVS do so via a call centre, they provide PVS with the details from the passport in front of them and PVS confirms or denies whether this information matches our records. No personal details are divulged by PVS.
	There are currently seven financial services organisations using PVS. Each is regulated by the Financial Service Authority and has been accredited before being allowed to enter into contracts to use PVS. Organisations are accredited to ensure they have a legitimate need to use the service and systems are in place to regulate staff using the service and to ensure adequate data protection.
	However, it is not intended that the names of these organisations should be published so as not to reduce the effectiveness of the Passport Validation Service as a deterrent to combat fraud.

Police: Working Hours

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours of overtime were worked by police officers in each of the last 10 years.

John Reid: The Home Office does not collect figures on the number of overtime hours worked by police officers.

Prisoners

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners serving indeterminate public protection sentences have been reclassified and transferred to another prison in the last 12 months.

John Reid: This information is not held centrally.

Prisoners Transfers

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK prisoners are being held under prisoner transfer arrangements for offences committed abroad.

John Reid: Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2006, 295 British nationals convicted of offences committed abroad were returned to prisons in England and Wales to continue serving their sentences.
	The repatriation of prisons to Scotland and to Northern Ireland is a matter for Scottish Ministers and for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland respectively.

Prisoners: Bridgend

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what issues require resolution at Sandville Self-Help Centre prior to the resumption of pre-release prisoner volunteers being placed there.

Gerry Sutcliffe: All outstanding issues between the CSV, probation and prison service have been resolved. Instructions to resume placements at Sandville and the revised Memorandum of understanding are due to be issued to all relevant establishments shortly.

Prisoners: Females

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women prisoners have children who are  (a) under five years and  (b) under 18 months.

John Reid: This information is not kept routinely by the Prison Service. A resettlement survey commissioned in 2003-04 by the service showed that half of all female prisoners had dependent children (including stepchildren) under 18, and 46 per cent. of those women had lived with at least one dependent child before custody.

Prisons: ICT

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2006,  Official Report, column 271W, on the C-NOMIS IT project, what the outcome was of the review conducted in January; and what plans he has for further releases and implementation of the C-NOMIS system across the wider prison estate.

John Reid: As planned, the NOMIS Programme Board reviewed an independently assured plan for developing and testing the versions of C-NOMIS that are to be rolled out across England and Wales, including the timing of the upgrading of the IT infrastructure and how all of these are underpinned by a strengthened contractual arrangements with our suppliers. Lessons learnt from the highly successful introduction of the early version of C-NOMIS at HMP Albany on the Isle Wight were also taken into account.
	Going forward, we plan to introduce a second version of the application with an improved level of functionality no later than July 2007. At the discretion of HM Prison Service and private sector prisons management this could be implemented in as many as 25 suitable prisons. Work is already well advanced to confirm identification and scheduling of that group. This will begin with upgrading HMP Albany and going live at other two Isle of Wight prisons, HMPs Parkhurst and Camp Hill.
	Beyond that, the main C-NOMIS base release, encompassing full prison and probation functionality, will be available no later than July 2008. In the near future senior prisons managers will be meeting with colleagues from probation and the C-NOMIS Project deployment support teams to decide how they will schedule the remaining prisons for implementation.
	Given this re-planning we now anticipate that this major roll-out schedule can now be speeded up significantly overall without cutting down on the time to implement for individual sites. We expect the roll-out of replacement of legacy systems—LIDS in the case of prisons—to be complete by the end of March 2009 which represents only a slight delay on the original plans.

Prisons: Religion

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what vetting procedures are undertaken by his Department before employing a minister of religion in HM prisons.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Ministers of religion fall under the category of chaplains and the checks undertaken include checks on: identity; proof of address; entitlement to work in the UK; criminal record check; references; qualifications, endorsement from the relevant faith adviser and national security vetting.

Secure Accommodation: Wales

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which secure accommodation facilities female adult offenders from each local authority in Wales were held in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information about the prisons in which women from each local authority in Wales are held is not available centrally.

Stray Dogs

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department has taken to ensure that police authorities are fulfilling their obligations to receive stray dogs under the Environmental Protection Act 1990; and what sanctions may be imposed on police authorities who fail to fulfil their obligations.

Vernon Coaker: Under section 150 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 local authorities and the police have a shared responsibility to receive stray dogs from members of the public. It is a matter for the chief officer of the individual force concerned to determine the operational priority attached to activities within his or her force area.

War Crimes

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2007,  Official Report, column 2153W, on war crimes, if he will list the cases for which all proceedings are complete in recent years to which the answer refers.

Joan Ryan: The cases referred to in my answer were applications for arrest warrants in respect of Henry Kissinger, Robert Mugabe, Bo Xilai, Narendra Modi, Ariel Sharon, Shaul Mofaz and Doron Almog.

Weir Prison

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons were for the sale of HMP Weir in May 2006.

Gerry Sutcliffe: At the time it closed, The Weir was no longer considered appropriate for the accommodation of prisoners. Substantial investment would have been necessary to keep it open.

Women's Prisons: Per Capita Costs

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average daily cost was of keeping a prisoner in each women's prison in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The average daily cost per prisoner for each female establishment in 2005-06, and the average cost for the whole female estate, is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Daily cost per prisoner for each female prison 
			  Establishment name  Daily cost per prisoner (£) 
			 Askham Grange 90.08 
			 Brockhill(1) 136.53 
			 Bronzefield 130.89 
			 Bullwood Hall(1) 146.71 
			 Cookham Wood 103.94 
			 Downview 102.33 
			 Drake Hall 79.68 
			 East Sutton Park 67.38 
			 Eastwood Park 103.88 
			 Foston Hall 103.02 
			 Holloway 145.91 
			 Low Newton 111.91 
			 Morton Hall 81.00 
			 New Hall 127.32 
			 Send 88.42 
			 Styal 99.89 
			 Female estate total 110.36 
			 (1) Brockhill and Bullwood Hall re-roled to male category C establishments in 2006-07 and no longer hold female prisoners.

Parliamentary Questions

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to question numbers 114242, 114243 and 114244, tabled by the hon. Member for West Suffolk on 9 January 2007.

Liam Byrne: I replied to the hon. Member on 2 March 2007,  Official Report column 1562W.

Young Offenders: Suicide

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) attempted suicides,  (b) threats of suicide and  (c) incidents of self-harm there were in each young offenders institution in (i) 2003, (ii) 2004, (iii) 2005, (iv) 2006 and (v) 2007 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 19 March 2007
	In response to  (a), there is no definition of what constitutes an attempted suicide, as it is very difficult to measure suicidal intent.
	The information requested at  (b) is not collated centrally in the requested format and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	The exact information requested at  (c) is not available. Self-harm figures are derived from a national recording system of each incident of self-harm in prison, the majority of which are minor, and can only be considered as an estimate.

Youth Justice Board

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the research programme of the Youth Justice Board relates to the Board's outcome measures.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Each individual study in the YJB's research strategy is aligned with at least one corporate target. The YJB's Research Programme Board (RPB) oversees the development and progress of the research strategy and has representatives of every directorate in the YJB, as well as policy and research representatives from the Home Office. Research and evaluation directly informs national policy and local practice and is part of the ongoing process of development which is monitored by the YJB's performance team who provide outcome measures for the targets.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Aggregates Levy

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what mechanisms will be introduced to ensure that monies raised through the implementation of the aggregates levy sustainability fund are allocated to projects which will result in environmental benefits in Northern Ireland;
	(2)  when the Government plans to implement the aggregates levy sustainability fund in Northern Ireland.

David Cairns: The Department of the Environment is currently preparing a business case with a view to setting up a sustainable development fund in 2007-08.

Community Relations: Belfast

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the progress made in evaluating the Community Safety Unit's pilot project on the recording of hate incidents in South Belfast.

David Hanson: Project RIOH, the pilot project for recording hate incidents in South Belfast is currently being evaluated. Reporting centres and other stakeholders have been canvassed for their views on the operation of Project RIOH and the information collected is currently being considered. The multi-agency group which oversaw the project is due to meet soon to consider the findings of the evaluation.

Dual Nationality

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) British subjects,  (b) Irish citizens and  (c) people with dual British-Irish nationality there were in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

Peter Hain: The Government do not hold the information in the format requested. However, the 2001 census gives information about the place of birth of those living in Northern Ireland on 29 April 2001: Of the 1,685,267 people living in Northern Ireland on census day, 1,534,268 are recorded as having been born in Northern Ireland, 81,389 were recorded as having been born elsewhere in the UK and 39,051 were recorded as having been born in the republic of Ireland.
	Place of birth does not, of course, determine citizenship. Entitlement to British citizenship is regulated by the British Nationality Acts and Irish citizenship is a matter for the Irish authorities. However, under the terms of the Belfast Agreement, the British and Irish Governments recognised the right of the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves as Irish or British or both, as they so choose, and confirm their right to hold both British and Irish citizenship. Annex 2 to the Agreement signed by the two Governments defines "the people of Northern Ireland", for this purpose, as meaning "all persons born in Northern Ireland who had, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British citizen or an Irish citizen or is otherwise entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence".

English Language

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many tutors taught English for Speakers of Other Languages courses in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The following figures relate only to those colleges in the statutory further education sector that have maintained details of the number of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) tutors employed during the period requested. No details are held on the number of ESOL tutors employed by other, non-statutory organisations.
	
		
			  Academic year  Number of tutors 
			 2006/07 116 
			 2005/06 90 
			 2004/05 37 
			 2003/04 22 
			 2002/03 19

English Language

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much expenditure from the public purse there was on English for speakers of other languages courses in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Expenditure, funded by the Department for Employment and Learning, on English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) courses in further education colleges, in each of the last five years, was:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 1,469,297 
			 2005-06 865,059 
			 2004-05 691,628 
			 2003-04 486,093 
			 2002-03 349,276 
		
	
	Funding is also available within the new deal programmes. However, it is not possible to separately identify this funding.

English Language

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how much money was given to primary schools in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years to help children for whom English is not their first language;
	(2)  how much money was given to secondary schools in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years to help children for whom English is not their first language.

Maria Eagle: The Department of Education has provided earmarked funding for the provision of teaching and teaching support for English as an Additional Language (EAL), through the education and library boards in each financial year as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2002-03 200,000 
			 2003-04 400,000 
			 2004-05 410,000 
			 2005-06 570,000 
			 2006-07 834,000 
		
	
	These figures are not available by allocation to primary and post-primary schools.
	In addition, since 2005-06 schools have received additional funding within the delegated budget shares distributed under the common funding formula for all pupils, identified within the schools annual statistical return as requiring additional support for English as an Additional Language.
	Allocations for primary and secondary schools were as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Primary  Secondary 
			 2005-06 1,106,000 531,000 
			 2006-07 1,691,000 783,000 
			 2007-08 2,462,000 1,035,000

Higher Education

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many third level education institutions the Minister for Higher and Further Education has visited since her appointment to the Department.

Maria Eagle: As Minister with responsibility for Employment and Learning I have visited three third level education institutions: the North East Institute of Further and Higher Education; Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education; and the North West Institute of Further and Higher Education.

Prisons: Drugs

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding was allocated to drugs treatment for prisoners in Northern Ireland in each of the past six years; and how many prisoners received drugs treatment in each Northern Ireland prison over the same period.

Paul Goggins: The information is not available in the form requested. It is not possible to differentiate between resources allocated and prisoners participating in programmes for drugs or alcohol misuse. The Prison Service has contracts with three community voluntary support groups to provide counselling services to prisoners who have abused substances.
	Information about the financial support given to the groups is only available for the past five years as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
			 2002-03 294 
			 2003-04 379 
			 2004-05 472 
			 2005-06 551 
			 2006-07 to February 386 
			 Total 2,082 
		
	
	The number of prisoners facilitated is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2002-03 (1)914 
			 2003-04 (1)— 
			 2004-05 443 
			 2005-06 496 
			 2006-07 to February 466 
			 Total 2,319 
		
	
	The NT Prison Service also has a policy of continuing community substitution programmes when a prisoner is committed to prison; this has been in place since September 2004. This aspect cannot be accurately costed as much depends on the drug and dosage used and the length of time that the individual is kept on the programme—some will still be on it when discharged. The number of prisoners involved is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 14 
			 2005 19 
			 2006 23 
			 2007 to February 5 
			 Total 61 
		
	
	In addition, the Prison Service has a detailed detoxification protocol which sets out recommendations for treatment and support to prisoners who allege that they are addicted to drugs or alcohol but who are not participating in a community substitution programme. It is not possible to put a cost against such treatments or identify the number of prisoners treated.

Racial Harassment

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many victims of racist incidents have been helped under the Practical Actions scheme of his Department's Community Safety Unit since the scheme's inception.

David Hanson: The Practical Actions scheme has been developed by the Community Safety Unit in partnership with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the PSNI. The scheme provides personal and home security measures to victims of hate incidents where an individual has suffered a hate incident at or near their home or where an individual's home has been damaged as a result of a hate incident. The scheme has been available to victims since February and to date two victims of racist incidents have received support under the scheme.

Railways: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if Translink will make an estimate of the cost of providing a passing loop in the Ballykelly area for trains between Coleraine and Londonderry.

David Cairns: Translink estimate the cost of providing a passing loop at Ballykelly to be £500,000.
	However, this would also require the introduction of a new signalling system between Castlerock and Londonderry at an estimated cost of between £8.5 million and £10 million.

Roads: Scotland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent representations he has made to the Scottish Executive in relation to the upgrading of  (a) the A75 Stranraer to Dumfries Road and  (b) the A77 Stranraer to Ayr road.

David Cairns: There have been no representations.

Schools

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many schools the Minister for Higher and Further Education has visited since her appointment to the Department, broken down by  (a) management type and  (b) education and library board; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Since my appointment to the Department of Employment and Learning, as Minister for Further and Higher Education, I have not visited any schools. However, as Minister for Education, I have visited a total of 13 schools:
	 (a) Broken down by management type—grant maintained integrated, three Roman Catholic maintained, seven controlled and two voluntary grammar.
	 (b) Broken down by education and library board—four in the SEELB, five in the BELB, one in the WELB and three in the NEELB.

Water Service: Standards

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the amount of water lost through leakage in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Water Service (Mrs. Katharine Bryan) has been asked to write to the hon. Lady in response to this question.
	 Letter from Mrs. Katharine Bryan, dated 20 March 2007:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about what estimate he has made of the amount of water lost through leakage in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years for which figures are available (128137). I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Water Service.
	The estimated level of water lost through leakage in the three years from 2003/04 to 2005/06 is as follows:-
	
		
			   Leakage (megalitres) 
			 2003-04 83,950 
			 2004-05 74,095 
			 2005-06 64,970 
		
	
	The final outturn for March 2007 is not yet available but Water Service is on schedule to achieve its set target of 61,685 Megalitres.

Water: Shortages

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many hosepipe bans were introduced in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years; how many breaches of each ban were recorded; and what penalty was enforced in each case.

David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Water Service (Mrs. Katharine Bryan) has been asked to write to the hon. Lady in response to this question.
	 Letter from Mrs. Katharine Bryan, dated 20 March 2007:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about how many hosepipe bans were introduced in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years; how many breaches of each ban were recorded; and what penalty was enforced in each case (128138). I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Water Service.
	No hosepipe bans have been introduced in Northern Ireland in the last 10 years. Temporary prohibitions on non-essential hosepipe usage were last introduced in 1995. Anyone contravening the ban would have been liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £200. Water Service has no record of any convictions during that time.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Development

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she plans to take to encourage councils to develop neighbourhood charters.

Phil Woolas: The Government have agreed a protocol on the production of non-statutory guidance with the Local Government Association. As such we are working with the Local Government Association, the Improvement and Development Agency and a range of other stakeholders to ensure that there is appropriate advice available to help local authorities develop effective local charters with local communities; and to fit them coherently into the overall sustainable community strategy for the area..

Community Development: Ethnic Groups

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 314-5W, on religious groups, which  (a) Hindu,  (b) Sikh and  (c) Muslim organisations received funding from the communities capacity building fund in each of the last five years; and how much has been allocated to each organisation for 2006-07.

Phil Woolas: The faith communities capacity building fund was established in 2005, with the first round of grants to organisations being made in 2006-07. A list of all those organisations which received funding in the first round 2006-07, including the details of funding amounts for each organisation can be obtained from the community development foundation (CDF) website www.cdf.org.uk. A breakdown of this information by faith group is also available in the House Library.

Council Houses

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many council houses are owned by  (a) local authorities and  (b) housing associations in each London borough; and how many additional houses have been provided by (i) local authorities and (ii) housing associations in each of the last 10 years.

Yvette Cooper: Information on the stock of social rent housing by local authority area can be found on the Communities and Local Government website:
	 Registered social landlords
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/21/Table115_id 1156021.xls
	 Local authorities
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/22/Table116_id 1156022.xls
	The numbers of social rent housing units built or acquired in each London borough in each of the last 10 years are tabulated as follows. The majority of public sector investment for new social housing goes to housing associations as they can lever in around 40 per cent. independent borrowing and deliver more units than local authorities for a given amount of public subsidy. The Government are currently looking at ways for local authorities to play a greater role in building more homes.
	
		
			  Social rent housing units built or acquired by local authority area: London 
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 City of London 0 67 0 28 132 76 88 0 48 178 
			 Barking and Dagenham 330 153 194 211 190 279 162 124 163 190 
			 Barnet 171 259 344 132 159 145 177 113 142 216 
			 Bexley 120 154 158 145 46 33 143 48 31 46 
			 Brent 297 267 208 217 310 415 196 225 158 168 
			 Bromley 326 157 167 266 264 147 168 90 60 212 
			 Camden 436 284 183 323 158 164 126 81 188 72 
			 Croydon 484 456 369 338 251 398 264 82 156 184 
			 Ealing 76 173 208 166 137 119 120 122 171 188 
			 Enfield 279 109 208 133 249 437 303 238 281 236 
			 Greenwich 200 212 269 183 264 324 217 410 135 184 
			 Hackney 533 640 560 328 191 271 300 226 229 130 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 291 314 267 107 167 132 116 358 166 68 
			 Haringey 318 271 264 165 241 234 127 228 184 226 
			 Harrow 113 71 85 53 118 113 102 90 52 25 
			 Havering 143 64 58 57 19 183 36 28 69 6 
			 Hillingdon 455 237 397 240 305 237 118 128 84 74 
			 Hounslow 267 104 181 143 72 182 110 237 81 94 
			 Islington 382 225 211 135 166 111 183 261 187 253 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 405 269 141 225 93 114 121 178 25 79 
			 Kingston upon Thames 143 82 84 61 113 66 41 39 127 4 
			 Lambeth 294 220 199 217 190 166 215 206 173 288 
			 Lewisham 222 326 367 183 254 196 191 277 399 318 
			 Merton 229 212 119 187 76 103 75 55 108 101 
			 Newham 430 457 365 232 187 351 246 217 292 266 
			 Redbridge 111 197 89 167 151 258 159 90 179 92 
			 Richmond upon Thames 95 21 70 70 55 41 13 98 123 60 
			 Southwark 266 232 171 162 250 205 287 231 301 252 
			 Sutton 309 63 39 127 204 127 161 111 214 266 
			 Tower Hamlets 280 435 340 316 235 387 380 431 194 675 
			 Waltham Forest 235 322 338 180 321 239 232 182 104 133 
			 Wandsworth 189 72 83 121 60 49 61 49 98 9 
			 Westminster 818 185 216 226 456 307 172 120 215 280 
			 Total 9,247 7,310 6,952 5,844 6,084 6,609 5,410 5,373 5,137 5,573 
			  Note: Of the figures shown 303 units were provided by local authorities with the remainder provided by registered social landlords (RSLs). Includes RSL units with Housing Corporation funding and those funded solely through section 106 agreements.  Source: Housing Corporation, local authorities

Council Housing: Greater London

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many leaseholders in  (a) arms length management organisation,  (b) council and  (c) housing association managed properties there are in London in each borough.

Yvette Cooper: The Department does not hold this information. A survey undertaken by the former Association of London Government (now London Councils) indicates that the number of leaseholders—i.e. owners of flats that were once owned by the local authority—in the following 19 boroughs is:
	
		
			  Borough  Number of leaseholders (approximate) 
			 Barking 2,802 
			 Brent* 3,340 
			 Camden 9,316 
			 Croydon 2,000 
			 Enfield** 2,800 
			 Greenwich 9,385 
			 Havering* 2,206 
			 Hillingdon* 2,500 
			 Hounslow* 2,600 
			 Islington* 8,900 
			 Kensington and Chelsea* 2,500 
			 Lewisham* 9,000 
			 Redbridge** 2,500 
			 Southwark 13,000 
			 Sutton* 1,415 
			 Tower Hamlets** 10,000 
			 Waltham Forest* 2,000 
			 Wandsworth 12,000 
			 Westminster* 9,300 
			 Total 107,564 
		
	
	Those LAs marked * have some or all their stock currently managed by an ALMO; those marked ** plan to have some or all of their stock managed by an ALMO.

Council Tax

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the causes of changes in the average level of council tax in England between 1997-08 and 2006-07.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newbury (Mr. Benyon) on 27 February 2007,  Official Report column 1272.

Council Tax: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many photographs of domestic properties in  (a) England and  (b) Wales the Valuation Office Agency holds on its photograph database.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the VOA website:
	www.voa.gov.uk.

Councillors: Disciplinary Proceedings

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what the longest period of time is for which the Standards Board can suspend a councillor; and how many cases have involved this penalty;
	(2)  what powers  (a) a local authority and  (b) the Standards Board has to suspend a councillor who is subject to criminal charges not connected to their work as a councillor.

Phil Woolas: The Standards Board has no remit to impose sanctions on local councillors; this is a matter for either local standards committees or, in the most serious cases, the Adjudication Panel. Local standards committees are empowered to impose suspensions of up to three months; the Adjudication Panel may impose suspensions of up to one year and disqualifications of up to five years.
	From 2003-04 to date, the Adjudication Panel has imposed a sanction of five years disqualification in three cases, and a sanction of one year's suspension in 12 cases. For the same period, local standards committees imposed a sanction of three months suspension in 82 cases.
	Following the High Court judgment in the case of the London Mayor last October, doubt has been cast on the extent to which the remit of the code of conduct can extend to behaviour by a councillor which is not directly related to his or her role as a member. We are therefore seeking, in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill, to amend the Local Government Act 2000 to allow the remit of the model code of conduct to include the behaviour of members in their private capacity, if it involves criminal activity, as well as official capacity.

Departments: Conferences

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which conferences were funded  (a) in whole and  (b) in part by (i) her Department and (ii) its predecessor Department in the last 12 months; how many people attended each; and what the cost was of each conference to her Department.

Ruth Kelly: The figures requested are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Postal Services

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which postal companies handle mail dispatched by her Department and its agencies.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government and its agencies currently use Royal Mail and Royale Research Ltd. who are licensed by Postcomm for the distribution of mail. The Department also uses the Government Mail service provided by the Government Car and Dispatch Agency.

Electronic Government

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what assessment has been made of the reasons for the levels of take-up of Government Connect by local authorities;
	(2)  if she will place in the Library a copy of the business case model for Government Connect provided to local authorities;
	(3)  what the timetable is for the rollout of Government Connect to local authorities.

Ruth Kelly: Copies of the business case have today been placed in the Libraries to the House.
	Government Connect has been collecting information on the willingness to adopt the solutions being provided by the programme. This research indicated that around 200 local authorities may be ready to sign up to Government Connect by the end of 2007. Currently 198 councils have signed a pre-contractual notice with Government Connect. We aim to have connected all local authorities by March 2008.
	Research indicates that councils are signing up to Government Connect as they recognise that the programme has the potential to offer the wide range of service transformation possibilities around secure working with other local authorities and central Government Departments which they see as supporting efficiency and improved customer service.

Empty Property: Calderdale

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how the estimate for the number of empty properties in Calderdale was calculated; and how many of these properties are  (a) flats and  (b) houses.

Yvette Cooper: Estimates for the total number of empty dwellings are based on council tax returns. Information is reported by local authorities to Communities and Local Government through the Council Tax Base (CTB1) return.
	Estimates for empty dwellings by tenure are based on two further returns:
	1. Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) as reported by local authorities;
	2. Regulatory Statistical Return (RSR) as reported by registered social landlords.
	Information on the vacancy split by flats and houses is not available centrally.

Greenbelt: M25

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations she has received on the creation of a green arc around the M25 motorway; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: At present, we are not aware of any specific recent representations on this matter as public consultation is still under way on the Secretary of State's Proposed Changes to the Draft East of England Plan. But this is an issue where we would expect the public to express an interest in.
	The Proposed Changes are that "areas and networks of green infrastructure should be identified, created, protected and managed to ensure that an improved and healthy environment is available for the benefit of present and future communities". Assets of particular regional significance proposed for the retention, provision and enhancement of green infrastructure include green infrastructure projects around the fringes of Greater London.
	Public consultation on the Proposed Changes ran until 9 March. The Secretary of State will then consider the representations received.

Home Information Packs

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likely effect of the introduction of Home Information Packs on the operation of the housing market.

Yvette Cooper: The home buying and selling process is slow, expensive and uncertain, as housing market research carried out over a number of years has consistently found. By making key information available to both buyers and sellers early in the transaction process it is expected that HIPs will lead to reduced transaction times, a reduction in wasted costs and more certain and transparent transactions. It is also anticipated that HIPs will pave the way for further, market-led changes that will bring substantial further benefits to consumers.

Housing: Disabled

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to provide accessible housing mobility services for social housing tenants; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Mobility was identified as one of the key issues in the Hills review of Social Housing. The Government are currently looking at these issue as part of responding to the review. The social housing pages on the Directgov website (www.direct.gov.uk/socialhousing), provide information on the recent changes to social housing mobility and easy access to information and services; and signposts facilities for tenants to approach and apply to social housing landlords directly.
	Other services providers offer access to services to exchange social housing and we have also listed 10 of these direct access "homeswap" services and are reviewing the market in order to add to the schemes listed to offer the widest choice to tenants.
	The new social housing pages on Directgov also link to other Government services such as the "Looking for Work" facility which links to the Jobcentre Plus database with job vacancies throughout the UK; a variety of pages relating to local information i.e. schools, hospitals and care services; and information on benefits. Users can also access the full range of other Government services available on Directgov.
	We are in discussions with London councils on providing a transitional service for the seaside and country homes (SSCH) and the LAWN mobility schemes, on a medium term basis under grant agreement. These arrangements are currently being developed. In the meantime, London councils are providing an information service to customers as arrangements are put in place.
	The Department has also funded 26 local and sub-regional choice based lettings schemes, as well as one regional scheme for London, which will provide additional mobility services and the facility for social housing tenants to move home within areas and regions. Once operational, these will also be accessible through the social housing pages on Directgov. The first of these schemes (High Peak and Derbyshire Dales) is due to go-live next month.

Housing: Durham

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes in the City of Durham have reached the decent homes standard.

Yvette Cooper: At 1 April 2006 Durham city council reported that 2,486 of the 6,334 homes they owned were up to a decent standard.
	Registered social landlords operating within the city reported that they had 1,498 homes of which 1,414 were decent. We do not hold data on private sector housing decency at a local authority level.

Housing: Energy

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 7 March 2007,  Official Report, column 2040W, on housing: energy, if she will place in the Library a copy of the summary of overall benefits published in April 2003.

Ruth Kelly: The summary of overall benefits expected to arise from EU Directive 2002/91/EC, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, is contained within the "Second European Climate Change Programme Report: Can we meet our Kyoto targets" published in April 2003. This is a European Commission report that can be found on the European Commission website.

Local Authority Housing

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority houses were  (a) demolished,  (b) built and  (c) sold under Right to Buy in 2006.

Yvette Cooper: During the financial year 2005-06 an estimated 6,245 local authority houses were demolished, and 26,654 were sold through the right-to-buy scheme. Information on local authority stock is reported by the local authorities. The aforementioned figures include estimates where individual local authorities have not provided any data.
	In 2005-06 around 299 homes were built by local authorities. Increasingly social rent housing units are provided by registered social landlords who can lever in additional borrowing. By 2007-08 the annual provision of new social rent homes is set to reach 30,000 of which 28,000 will be delivered through Housing Corporation funding to RSLs and other developers.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect of the proposed right to manage on local authority finances.

Ruth Kelly: Groups of tenants of local authorities have had a right to manage their homes since the introduction of The Housing (Right to Manage) Regulations 1994. A local authority is required to provide reasonable support to the group to assist it to set up a tenant management organisation. The tenant empowerment programme (TEP), now administered by the housing corporation, provides financial support to developing tenant management organisations. In the main stage of development, the local authority is required to contribute 25 per cent. of the TEP funding. Typically a local authority will contribute about £28,000 towards the development, spread over three or four years.
	Once a tenant management organisation is up and running, its activities are funded from management and maintenance allowances paid for the functions for which they are responsible. These allowances are based on the local authorities' own level of expenditure for those functions.
	We are currently reviewing the right to manage regulations with a view to simplifying the process. A simpler process will reduce both the time and the cost of developing a tenant management organisation, though it may also encourage more tenants groups to explore the option. As part of the review we will assess the impact of proposed new regulations, including the impact on local authorities.

Local Government: Equal Pay

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the implementation of single status and equal pay in local government; and what estimate she has made of the number of local authorities which have not yet fully implemented equal pay.

Phil Woolas: The Government are fully committed to equality for all in the workplace, including the principle of equal pay for work of equal value. It is for local authorities, as employers, to tackle equal pay proactively and in an affordable manner. The Local Government Employers are currently conducting a survey of their members to identify how many have implemented the Single Status Agreement and when the remainder expect to do so.

Local Government: Standards

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which  (a) regulators and  (b) other public sector bodies will have responsibilities for (i) regulating and (ii) auditing, inspecting or otherwise monitoring local authorities following the merger of the Benefits Fraud Inspectorate and the Audit Commission.

Ruth Kelly: Under proposals set out in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill, the Audit Commission will oversee the inspection of all local services and will continue to appoint and assign auditors to local authorities. The Audit Commission will manage the overall programme of inspection and external assessment of local authorities. Other regulators and inspectorates with responsibilities in this area are the new Ofsted, the Adult Social Care Inspectorate which will replace the Commission for Social Care Inspection, and the existing five criminal justice inspectorates where they have an interest in local authority services.

Maps: Databases

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Ordnance Survey's MasterMap Address Layer 2 includes information on the council tax bands of individual properties.

Phil Woolas: No.

Neighbourhood Wardens

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new neighbourhood  (a) warden and  (b) manager schemes have been established since January 2006.

Phil Woolas: Support for neighbourhood management and warden schemes has now been pooled within local area agreements, which focus on achieving a series of public service outcomes agreed between central and local government—in this instance safer and stronger communities. Information is no longer collected at the centre about the number and type of schemes (outputs) that local authorities and their partners choose to adopt to deliver their LAA outcomes.

Non-Domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average business rates bill in England was in each year since 1997-98.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by the Minister for Local Government of 13 March 2007,  Official Report, column 238W.

Non-Domestic Rates: Safety Measures

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account is taken of the presence of  (a) anti-fire sprinklers and  (b) CCTV cameras by the Valuation Office Agency when calculating the rebate value of business premises for business rates valuations or revaluations.

Phil Woolas: Anti-fire sprinklers and CCTV camera systems are both rated in accordance with The Valuation for Rating (Plant and Machinery) (England) Regulations 2000 (SI 2000 No. 540). However, the Valuation Office Agency makes no addition to the rateable value in cases where fewer than four CCTV cameras are installed, taking the pragmatic view that such cases do not constitute a "system".

Planning

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning authorities have adopted a statement of community involvement.

Phil Woolas: There have been 224 adopted statements of community involvement as at 28 of February 2007. This represents 56 per cent. of all local planning authorities in England.

Planning Obligations: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what facilities were provided in Lancashire from agreements made under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in each of the last 10 years; and what the value was.

Yvette Cooper: Information on individual section 106 agreements is held by local planning authorities and not collected centrally. The Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) (Amendment) (England) Order 2002 (Statutory Instrument 2002 no. 828), which came into effect on 1 July 2002, requires details of planning obligations to be recorded in both Parts I and II of the local planning authority's planning register, which should be available for public reference.

Public Houses

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice she has given to local councils on the criteria to be used in determining change of use of public houses.

Yvette Cooper: It is up to Local Planning Authorities to determine whether a change of use has taken place. ODPM Circular 03/2005 "Changes of Use of Buildings and Land: The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987" provides a guide to the Use Class Order as amended by SI2005/85. Copies have been placed in the House Libraries.
	Public houses where the primary purpose is the sale and consumption of alcoholic drink on the premises now fall within the A4: "Drinking Establishments" class. Premises in this category have a permitted change of use to A3: "restaurant and café" premises, as well as to both the Al: "Shops" and A2: "Financial and Professional Services" uses. Any other change of use would require planning permission.
	The existing primary use will be crucial in determining the appropriate classification. In making a determination as to the correct classification, some account may be taken of factors such as: whether the majority of customers on the premises are consuming alcoholic liquor exclusively; whether there is a public house licence; and whether there is any obligation or expectation for customers to consume a meal. Where it is evident that the primary use of the premises is the purchase and consumption of alcoholic liquor on the premises, the use class will normally be A4, irrespective of the square footage which may be given over to dining as an additional service, or the revenue derived from that function.

Regeneration: Lower Lea Valley

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has spent on non-Olympic regeneration in the Lower Lea Valley since July 2005; what plans her Department has for such spending; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: To date, since 2005, the Department for Communities and Local Government have spent £37,941,704 on non-Olympic regeneration in the Lower Lea Valley. Regenerating the Lower Lea Valley was a priority, under the Thames Gateway programme, before the announcement of the 2012 Olympic Games coming to London and continues to be a priority as part of the Thames Gateway. The future regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley will be undertaken by the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation. The Development Corporation's vision for the Lower Lea Valley includes the building of 35,000 homes and the creation of 50,000 jobs by 2016.

Regional Planning and Development: Eastern Region

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings  (a) she and  (b) officials in her Department had with Arlington (i) in the period between the Government inspectors report into the East of England Plan and the launch of the consultation and (ii) since the consultation was launched; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: Ministers have not met with representatives of Arlington in either of the periods in question. Officials have checked their diaries and can find no record of any official-level meeting during these periods either.

Social Rented Housing

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average length of stay was for tenants in  (a) local authority and  (b) registered social landlord accommodation in (i) 1997, (ii) 2001 and (iii) the last year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: Reliable estimates of how long social housing tenants remain, on average, in the same accommodation are not available. However, estimates of the lengths of uncompleted residence based on the time that existing tenants have spent in their current accommodation are as follows:
	
		
			  Lengths of uncompleted residence (in years) reported by existing social housing tenants 
			  Number of years 
			   Council tenants  RSL tenants 
			   Mean  Median  Mean  Median 
			 1997-98 12.4 8.1 8.2 4.5 
			 2001-02 12.8 8.2 9.3 5.2 
			 2005-06 13.6 8.8 10.3 5.9 
			  Source: Survey of English Housing 
		
	
	It is important to note that since these figures are based on uncompleted lengths of tenure, they are likely to be significantly below the equivalent figures for completed lengths of tenure.

Social Rented Housing: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of homes  (a) in the private sector,  (b) rented from local authorities and  (c) rented from registered social landlords fell below the decent homes standard in each year since its introduction.

Yvette Cooper: Since 1997 the Government have been committed to improving the condition of homes, especially in the social sector. The decent homes public service agreement was introduced in the 2000 Spending Review. The condition of the housing stock is monitored by the English House Condition Survey.
	
		
			   All non-decent  All LA non-decent  All RSL non-decent  All private sector non-decent 
			   Number dwellings (Thousand)  Percentage of stock  Number dwellings (Thousand)  Percentage of stock  Number dwellings (Thousand)  Percentage of stock  Number dwellings (Thousand)  Percentage of stock 
			 1996 9,099 44.7 1,869 53.9 448 47.6 6,781 42.6 
			 2001 7,063 33.3 1,174 41.8 472 33.2 5,416 31.9 
			 2003 6,717 31.3 975 39.7 467 28.8 5,275 30.3 
			 2004 6,312 29.2 816 34.9 437 26.2 5,060 28.7 
			 2005 5,987 27.5 729 33.7 433 23.8 4,825 27.1 
			  Source: English House Condition Survey

Social Rented Housing: Standards

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authorities are required to conduct housing condition surveys of social housing.

Ruth Kelly: Section 605 of the Housing Act 1985 requires a periodic inspection of housing within its boundaries by the local housing authority.
	The publication 'Decent Homes: Capturing the standard at the local level', published in 2000, states it will be necessary to repeat stock surveys periodically, or on a rolling stock survey format to assess the condition of homes that it owns.

Temporary Accommodation

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless households in temporary accommodation there were in each year since 2002-03.

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level.
	The duty owed to a household accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until settled accommodation becomes available.
	Information on the number of households in temporary accommodation at the end of each quarter is available from 1997 onwards in Table 6 of our most recent statistical release on statutory homelessness. The release is placed in the Library each quarter, and is also available on our website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1002882& PressNoticeID=2309.
	Note that these figures include both those households who have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty, and those for which enquiries are pending.

Unitary Councils

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether councils which are preparing for unitary status will have elections pending in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008 postponed or cancelled.

Ruth Kelly: The 2007 elections will go ahead. We will be considering the implications for the 2008 local elections for any council that is affected during that year by the implementation of a move to unitary structures which has been approved by Parliament.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 6 December 2006,  Official Report, column 474W, on the Valuation Office Agency, from which sources the agency obtains information on the presence of bathrooms in new or altered properties.

Ruth Kelly: This information might be obtained from a variety of sources, including the house builder and the occupier.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency departments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accident and emergency departments there are in each strategic health authority, broken down by type.

Andy Burnham: National health service trusts self-report the number of accident and emergency (A and E) services they provide against definitions provided by the Department. Trust information can then be grouped together to provide information for strategic health authorities.
	The information is shown in the following table and was the position at the end of December 2006.
	
		
			  Strategic health authority  Number of type one (major) A and E services  Number of type two (single specialty) A and E services  Number of type three (minor injury and illness, including minor injury units and walk-in centres) A and E services 
			 England 204 68 287 
			 North East 14 2 18 
			 North West 33 8 36 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 21 2 21 
			 East Midlands 12 5 20 
			 West Midlands 23 5 26 
			 East of England 19 4 23 
			 London 32 9 23 
			 South East Coast 16 23 29 
			 South Central 12 7 15 
			 South West 22 3 76 
			  Source: Department of Health dataset QMAE

Alcohol Misuse

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2007 , Official Report, columns 931-2W, on alcohol drinks: misuse, if she will break down the figures for admissions by primary care trust; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The information requested by the hon. Member has been placed in the Library.
	The Government are concerned by the growing number of people being admitted to hospital as a result of alcohol misuse, and is determined to tackle this. As stated in the 2004 Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England, the Government are committed to reviewing the current strategy this year. We intend to identify what future action is required to help the majority of the population to stay within sensible drinking limits and to make those drinking at levels likely to cause harm to their health more aware of the risks. The responsibilities of the alcohol industry, consumers, and Government will each be part of the review.

Alcohol Misuse

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage the £15 million earmarked to improve alcohol interventions in 2007-08 represents of the total uplift in revenue for NHS primary care trusts (PCTs) for that year; and how much each PCT received of that £15 million.

Caroline Flint: The 2006-07 and 2007-08 primary care trust (PCT) revenue allocations separately identify £342 million funding in support of public health initiatives, including £15 million for alcohol interventions in 2007-08. £15 million is 0.25 per cent. of the £6 billion uplift in 2007-08 PCT allocations. PCTs have been encouraged to invest additional funding to improve their local arrangements for commissioning and delivering alcohol treatment services based on local need.
	PCTs were informed of their shares of the £342 million funding but not their shares of each initiative.

Alcohol Misuse

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to persuade primary care trusts to give alcohol reduction strategies a higher priority in their funding.

Caroline Flint: "Alcohol Misuse Interventions—Guidance on developing a local programme of improvement" was published in November 2005. This document provides the policy context, evidence of associated harm and presents strong economic reasons for primary care trusts to give alcohol harm reduction strategies a high priority. It also outlines practical steps to support local delivery of alcohol interventions.
	Alcohol specific commissioning guidance for local healthcare organisations will be developed and consulted on in 2007.
	The Department is exploring the possibility of developing an alcohol interventions assessment and benchmarking framework that would encourage local investment in preventive interventions and treatment. The regulatory bodies are considering how they can support the development of such a framework.

Animal Feed: Additives

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her most recent estimate is of the  (a) one-off cost and  (b) recurring costs of implementing the Additives for Use in Animal Nutrition (England) Regulations 2003 to (i) businesses and (ii) the regulators.

Caroline Flint: One-off costs will be borne by feed additive manufacturers in relation to changes in information required on labels. Detailed figures are not available from the industry, but these are unlikely to be significant.
	Recurring costs for businesses will relate mainly to authorisation or re-authorisation of feed additives. The additional cost of authorisation for new feed additives is estimated by the industry to be in the range £10,000 to £100,000 depending on the complexity of the dossier. It is not possible to provide estimates for the cost of re-authorisations as this is dependant on guidelines yet to be issued by the European Commission.
	Costs to regulators will be negligible.

Blood: Contamination

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects Lord Archer of Sandwell's enquiry into contaminated NHS blood and blood products to be completed.

Caroline Flint: This is an unofficial independent public inquiry, therefore it is not a matter for the Department.

Cancer: Drugs

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will ask the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to reconsider its decision on Gliadel; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is currently carrying out an appraisal of Gliadel Wafers (carmustine implants) for the treatment of newly diagnosed high-grade glioma. The institute has not yet issued final guidance to the national health service but expects to do so by summer 2007.

Cancer: Drugs

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals have been issued with the cancer drug Tarceva since March 2006; and which NHS trusts have  (a) funded and  (b) prescribed the cancer drug Tarceva since September 2005.

Caroline Flint: The Department does not hold the data requested for individual hospitals. Hospitals have been the main users of Tarceva (Erlotinib) with low usage by primary care trusts (PCTs). In the period September 2005 to June 2006, hospitals in at least 25 of the 28 former strategic health authorities had used Tarceva. In the period September 2005 to December 2006, six of the former 303 PCTs had prescribed the drug. To provide details of individual PCTs could potentially disclose the identity of the patients involved as prescribing has, so far, been minimal.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to record how many new cancer treatments developed through basic research  (a) go forward to clinical trials and  (b) become treatments for patients.

Caroline Flint: The Department does not collect the information from which an analysis of this sort could be made.
	The report of the review of UK heath research funding undertaken last year by Sir David Cooksey(1) discusses drug development and the translation of health research into practice. The Government will take forward the associated recommendations made in the report.
	(1 )The report "A review of UK health research funding" is available at hm-treasury.gov.uk

Cancer: Research

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research she has examined on the use of eggs from genetically modified hens in research into treatment for cancer; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: None.

Cervical Cancer: Vaccination

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when she expects the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)  (a) to come to a conclusion and  (b) to publish its findings on the effectiveness of a vaccine against human papilloma virus; and when she expects to make a recommendation following the JCVI's consideration;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the human papilloma virus vaccine.

Caroline Flint: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is in the process of thoroughly examining the vaccine safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness evidence concerning human papilloma virus vaccines. The work is being taken forward by a sub-group of JCVI, with further work ongoing to evaluate whether the vaccine is considered to be a cost-effective prevention of cervical cancer; and the impact that HPV vaccine may have on genital warts.
	The sub-group's advice will be reported to the main JCVI committee for further discussion.
	No decisions will be taken on introducing these vaccines into the immunisation programme until JCVI has presented its advice to Ministers for their consideration.

Clostridium Difficile

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the possibility of transmission of  Clostridium difficile by airborne means.

Caroline Flint: Clostridium difficile forms spores and patients suffering from  C difficile associated disease shed spores in their faeces. These spores settle onto environmental surfaces such as floors and toilets rather than remaining in the air and air borne exposure is not a significant transmission route. Spores can survive in the environment for long periods and infect others as a result of cross contamination, often by the faecal-oral route, through contaminated surfaces. Transmission is prevented by isolating affected patients and enhanced environmental cleaning to remove  Clostridium difficile spores.

Clostridium Difficile

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people contracted clostridium difficile from hospitals in Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The information is not available as requested. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) receives reports from microbiology laboratories of cases of  Clostridium difficile associated disease (CDAD) under the mandatory surveillance scheme. All acute NHS trusts in England are obliged to report all cases of CDAD in patients aged 65 years and over.
	The infections included in the table may not all have been contracted in hospitals in Lancashire. This is because the protocol asks trusts to report all positive samples detected in their laboratories, including samples sent to that acute trust from community hospitals, primary care trust hospitals, general practitioners, nursing homes and other NHS-run health care facilities.
	Mandatory surveillance began in January 2004 and the figures for 2004 and 2005 are shown in the table and on the HPA's website at:
	www.hpa.ora.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/mandatory_report_2006.htm
	Quarterly publication of mandatory surveillance data for CDAO started on 30 January 2007 and data for January to September 2006 is available on the HPA website:
	http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/Mandatory_Results_Jan_2007.htm
	
		
			  Number of reported Clostridium difficile cases 
			  Trust  January 2004 to December 2004  January 2005 to December 2005 
			 Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre 352 389 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals 220 152 
			 Lancashire Teaching Hospitals 279 271 
			 Southport and Ormskirk Hospital 98 107 
			 University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay (Morecambe Bay Hospitals) 80 180 
			  Source:  HPA

Complementary Medicine: Channel Islands

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints about food supplements and herbal remedies being marketed in the United Kingdom with health claims illegal in the UK by companies based in the Channel Islands have been referred by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to the appropriate agencies in Guernsey and Jersey in the last two years; and what information the Agency has received about the subsequent investigation of such complaints and the outcomes.

Caroline Flint: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), an Executive Agency of the Department of Health has referred nine complaints to the Guernsey Authorities and seven to the Jersey Authorities; since 1 January 2005. The MHRA received feedback from the Guernsey Authorities on three cases. In two cases there were no offences under Guernsey law and in the third case the company was not actually based in Guernsey. The MHRA received feedback on three cases from the Jersey Authorities. In all three cases the companies were not actually based in Jersey.

Complementary Medicine: Channel Islands

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date and for what reasons it was made illegal to offer  (a) melatonin and  (b) kava kava for sale in the United Kingdom; and what assessment she has made of (i) the implications for public health and (ii) the legality of the continued marketing of products containing (A) melatonin and (B) kava kava for sale to UK consumers by mail order from the Channel Islands.

Caroline Flint: A prohibition order on the: sale, supply and importation of kava kava in unlicensed medicines, other than for external use, came into force on 13 January 2003. The order was made following advice from the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the Medicines Commission that kava kava poses a rare but serious risk of liver toxicity. Similar action was taken in relation to kava kava in foods. The Guernsey authorities have investigated the supply of kava kava by a company apparently based on that island. The investigation showed that the product was not actually being distributed from Guernsey but from Cyprus. A complaint has been referred to the authorities in Cyprus by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
	There are no special legislative restrictions on the sale or supply of the hormone melatonin. Unless it is being supplied as an unlicensed medicine in accordance with the relevant statutory controls, a medicinal product containing melatonin requires a marketing authorisation before it may be lawfully sold or supplied. The status of melatonin under medicines legislation was first considered in 1989. The MHRA is unaware of any implication for public health by the classification of melatonin as a medicinal product. The MHRA refers complaints about the sale and supply of melatonin from the Channel Islands to the relevant regulatory authority.

Complementary Medicine: Channel Islands

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to stem the flow of direct mail advertising from the Channel Islands offering products banned in the UK and products for which promotional health claims are made that would be illegal in the UK and EU; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: There are no specific powers in the medicines legislation administered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, an executive agency of the Department or in the Postal Services Act (2000) to control direct mail advertising from the Channel Islands. The legislation administered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency does not apply to the Channel Islands. The islands have their own legislative assemblies and are responsible for the regulation of activities relating to medicinal products which take place from those Islands. Therefore, any suspected illegal activity is referred to the relevant authority in the Channel Islands for investigation. Advertisements issued from within the Islands would be the responsibility of the relevant authorities within those Islands.

Departments: Business Plans

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department expects to publish its business plan for 2007-08.

Caroline Flint: The Department of Health intends to publish its Business Plan for 2007-08 by 30 March 2007.

Departments: Databases

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what databases are controlled by her Department and its agencies; and what percentage of the data in each database she estimates is inaccurate or out of date.

Caroline Flint: Information relating to the number of databases held electronically and controlled by the Department and its agencies is contained in the following table and is listed by:
	Department/agency name; and
	Number of databases controlled.
	
		
			  Databases controlled by Department of Health and its agencies 
			  Department/agency name  Number of databases controlled 
			 Department of Health 974 
			 Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency 47 
			 NHS Connecting for Health 150 
			 NHS Purchasing And Supply Agency 35 
		
	
	The accuracy and currency of the data contained in the Department and its agencies' databases varies according to the business requirement the database is designed to meet. Where the output from a database is intended for publication as a matter of public record (for example, as a report to Parliament or a press statement), every precaution is taken to ensure that that data within the database has been fully validated to ensure the highest achievable levels of accuracy. However, where the data contained is intrinsically dynamic and is not intended for public: record (for example, the Department's internal staff location database), a lower degree of accuracy and currency is acceptable to meet business needs.
	It is not possible to undertake an estimate for the accuracy and currency of the data contained in each database because of disproportionate cost.

Departments: Marketing

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what powers she has to examine the  (a) veracity,  (b) legality and  (c) acceptability of claims made by companies outside the UK in their direct marketing to UK consumers; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: There are no powers in United Kingdom medicines legislation to require companies using direct marketing to have the claims they wish to make examined by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Reports of illegal medicinal products made to the MHRA are investigated regardless of the country of origin. The MHRA examines claims to see whether the product in question is thereby brought within the definition of a medicinal product. The MHRA does not assess the veracity of a claim unless an application for a marketing authorisation is made for a product. If the company is outside the MHRA's jurisdiction it is referred to the relevant regulatory authority.

Diamorphine

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to ensure the safe and secure availability of diamorphine for the treatment of patients with serious or terminal conditions; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Both suppliers of diamorphine to the United Kingdom are working to their full available capacity, and are supplying the market on a regular and frequent basis. They are currently unable to produce enough to meet historic demand, although that demand may have changed due to changes in prescribing practice. We expect the situation to improve during 2007, and in the meantime we believe that through careful prescribing and use of available stocks, patient care is not being compromised. This is in part because we arranged for the increased production and availability of alternative drugs such as morphine when the problem arose in December 2004.
	The amount of diamorphine held in the supply chain at any one time varies, according to a number of factors including the manufacturers' production schedules. All presentations are currently available.

Drugs: Misuse

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will  (a) increase the number of tier 4 interventions for young people with drug addiction and  (b) increase access to services on a regional basis.

Caroline Flint: The young people's partnership grant for substance misuse has increased significantly year on year since its introduction in 2001. The grant is allocated by the Home Office to local authorities in addition to local mainstream funding for all aspects of the prevention and treatment of substance misuse by young people. A condition of the grant is that local drug partnerships show that they have referral pathways into tier 4 provision for young people. This is performance monitored by Government Office regional teams supported by the National Treatment Agency (NTA).
	To support improvements in commissioning tier 4 services the NTA, with the Department and the Home Office, will facilitate the development of regional and sub-regional commissioning models for tier 4 services in 2007-08.

Family Planning

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist family planning clinics there were in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not held centrally.
	The Department only currently collects aggregate data at primary care trust (PCT) and national health service trust level. As such we cannot identify data on numbers of individual clinics (of which there are many) within these organisations.
	Data at PCT and NHS trust level is published in "NHS Contraceptive Services, England 2005-06" and a copy of the latest bulletin has been placed in the Library. The information is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/nhscontraceptiveservseng2005to06

Food: Advertising

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what criteria the Government will use to assess whether the change in the nature and balance of food advertising to children has altered enough to avoid legislation, as set out in the 2004 Choosing Health White Paper; and when she expects that assessment to be published;
	(2)  what data the Government hold on the change in the number of advertisements for foods high in fat, salt and sugar seen by children at all times of the day since 2003.

Caroline Flint: Following Choosing Health, the Government will be assessing whether the new measures introduced in broadcast and non-broadcast media have brought about a real change in the nature and balance of food promotion. An interim review will be conducted in autumn 2007, and we will work with Ofcom and our industry partners on a more detailed review in 2008. On that basis, the Government will decide whether further action, such as legislation, is required.
	The Department has commissioned Thompson Intermedia to collect and analyse impact and expenditure data across a broad range of media. This is an ongoing process and the information that we collect will be used to inform the interim review. We are keen to see what measures the food and drink and advertising sectors are taking on a voluntary basis to effect a change in the nature and balance of high fat, salt and sugar product advertising before, and in response to, the interim review.

Food: Hygiene

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her most recent estimate is of the  (a) one-off cost and  (b) recurring costs of implementing the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2005 to (i) businesses and (ii) the regulators.

Caroline Flint: The Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2005 were replaced from 11 January 2006 by the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006.
	The costs arising from the introduction of the European Union (EU) food hygiene regulations on 1 January 2006, to which the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2005 gave effect, were detailed in a full Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA), a copy of which is available in the Library.
	Subsequent to the publication of the full RIA, it was agreed that enforcement of the EU regulations at farm level will be undertaken in England by local authorities, for which the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has made funds available. The funding arrangements are detailed in a draft RIA, which can be found on the FSA's website at:
	www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/farmhygieneria.pdf

Food: Labelling

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the  (a) one-off and  (b) ongoing costs of implementing the Food Labelling (Amendment) (England) (No. 2) Regulations 2004 to (i) businesses and (ii) the regulators.

Caroline Flint: The regulatory impact assessment compiled at the time that this regulation was implemented did not identify any additional costs. There was a transitional period of 12 months following the coming into force of the regulations to give businesses time to incorporate any changes needed into the normal commercial re-labelling cycle.
	Departmental costs for negotiating, consulting and implementing particular regulations are not broken down. Legislation is enforced by local authorities and the regulatory impact assessment identified possible costs for local authorities of £100,000 per annum.

Health Visitors: Manpower

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health visitors there were in each English primary care trust in each quarter from Q1 1997 to Q1 2007; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: This information has been placed in the Library. Primary care trusts (PCTs) were first introduced in 2001 so we have produced two tables showing health visitors by PCT since 2001 and health visitors by strategic health authority since 1997.
	Health visitors are central to a number of Government initiatives and these will act as drivers on the demand for an increased health visitor workforce.

Health: Regulatory Impact Assessments

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the progress in implementing the commitment in her Department's White Paper 'Choosing Health' for health to be a component in regulatory impact assessments of proposed legislation.

Caroline Flint: As part of the commitment in 'Choosing Health: making healthier choices easier' for health to be a component in regulatory impact assessments (RIA), the Department has successfully provided guidance on health screening and health assessment which is included in the Cabinet Office RIA guidance.
	An assessment of the success in implementing this commitment has been made by both the regional directors of public health and the council for science and technology (CST) which show that, while there has been some successful consideration of health, there is still a need for greater consistency. The CST report provides a framework for this.
	In May 2006, the Department published the first report showing progress against all choosing health commitments, which is available from its website at
	www.dh.gov.uk/ChoosingHealth.
	The second choosing health progress report will be published in spring 2007.
	The Department is continuing to develop relationships with other Government departments to build health into all relevant future legislation.

Herbal Medicine: Regulation

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) discussions she has had with and  (b) representations she has received from (i) the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and (ii) other relevant public bodies on her plans for the future regulation of herbal practitioners.

Caroline Flint: The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department. Ministers have had ongoing discussions with them, as with any other part of the Department.
	We have received advice from the independent Herbal Medicines Advisory Committee recommending that statutory regulation of the herbal medicine profession be progressed in order to permit effective reform of the arrangements under s12(l) of the Medicines Act 1968 whereby practitioners prepare unlicensed herbal remedies for use in meeting the needs of individual patients.
	We have established a working group chaired by Professor Mike Pittilo to look at the practicalities of regulation of acupuncturists, herbal medicine practitioners and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. We are awaiting the working group's report and in the light of that we will consider next steps for the way forward.

Heroin

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the potential effect on the health of long-term heroin users of prescription of heroin on the NHS.

Caroline Flint: In consultation with the Department and other experts in the field, the National Treatment Agency for substance misuse (NTA) published 'Injectable heroin (and injectable methadone), Potential roles in drug treatment' (May 2003), which provides guidance for drug treatment practitioners on injectable heroin in local drug treatment systems.
	Substitute prescribing using methadone and buprenorphine is recognised as the recommended treatment for the majority of individuals requiring opiate substitution treatment. For a small number of heroin users who do not respond to other types of substitute prescribing, it is appropriate, when clinically assessed to be the case, to prescribe heroin. Doctors who prescribe heroin to drug misusers require a Home Office licence.
	The Home Office is currently funding pilot trials relating to the prescribing of heroin for drug misusers. Full analysis and evaluation of these trials is due to be completed in 2008.

Homeopathy

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimates she has made of the effect on costs to the NHS in 2005-06 of the referral of patients to NHS homeopathic facilities;
	(2)  which London primary care trusts fund GP referrals to NHS homeopathic facilities.

Caroline Flint: Provision of complementary and alternative therapies on the national health service are a matter for primary care trusts and local NHS service providers. The Government considers that decision making on individual clinical interventions, whether these are conventional, complementary or alternative, are for local determination. The cost-effectiveness, efficacy, safety and availability of suitably qualified practitioners are all factors that have to be considered when these decisions are being made.

Homeopathy

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent guidance she has issued to primary care trusts on provision of the option of access to homeopathy care and treatment in the NHS; and what research she has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated into the use of homeopathic treatment to control rheumatoid arthritis.

Caroline Flint: The Government consider that decision-making on individual clinical interventions, whether conventional or complementary/alternative treatments, have to be a matter for local national health service providers and practitioners as they are best placed to know their community's needs. In making such decisions, they have to take into account evidence for the safety, clinical and cost-effectiveness of any treatments, the availability of suitably qualified practitioners, and the needs of the individual patient. Clinical responsibility rests with the NHS professional who makes the decision to refer and who must therefore be able to justify any treatment they recommend. If they are unconvinced about the suitability of a particular treatment, they cannot be made to refer.
	To support policy and the delivery of effective practice in the NHS, research is commissioned through a number of national programmes that are open to everyone and priorities are set through widespread consultation.

Hospital Beds: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many respite beds are available in each London borough; and what the  (a) average and  (b) maximum waiting period is for respite beds in each London borough.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not held centrally.

Hospitals: Admissions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were admitted to NHS hospitals for  (a) drug-related and  (b) alcohol-related illnesses and injuries in each strategic health authority area in each year between 2002 and 2006.

Caroline Flint: It is not possible to identify the exact number of patients admitted to national health service hospitals for alcohol and drug related illnesses. Illnesses can be caused by or can be affected by drug and/or alcohol misuse but we are not able to indicate this with all cases. Drug and alcohol misuse related illnesses are not defined within one specific hospital diagnosis code.
	National data from codes of primary diagnosis, which indicate the reason for a patient's admission to hospital is either drug or alcohol related are in the following tables.
	
		
			  Count of finished admission episodes where the primary diagnosis was alcohol related*, by strategic health authority of treatment, 2001-02 to 2005-06 NHS Hospitals, England 
			Finished admission episodes 
			  SHA Code  SHA Description  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 1,447 1,500 1,775 2,041 2,155 
			 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 725 697 764 810 74 
			 Q03 Essex 739 776 873 1,078 1,151 
			 Q04 North West London 1,293 1,291 1,582 1,689 2,078 
			 Q05 North Central London 837 1,069 1,061 1,378 1,556 
			 Q06 North East London 1,090 1,122 1,334 1,471 1,586 
			 Q07 South East London 1,445 1,80 2,104 2,690 2.986 
			 Q08 South West London 867 922 1,112 1,296 1329 
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 1,623 1,774 1,743 2,001 2,106 
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley 845 1,087 1,459 1,510 1,441 
			 Q11 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 1,381 1,183 1,351 1,320 1,397 
			 Q12 West Yorkshire 1,829 1,800 1,869 1,730 2,061 
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire 1,474 2,163 2,112 2,339 2,360 
			 Q14 Greater Manchester 2,090 2,562 2,949 3,626 4,289 
			 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside 4,021 4,117 4,472 4,564 5,068 
			 Q16 Thames Valley 1,116 1,107 1,206 1,416 1,431 
			 Q17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 925 1,432 1,470 1,664 1,733 
			 Q18 Kent and Medway 701 889 939 1,178 1,245 
			 Q19 Surrey and Sussex 1,004 1,950 1,669 2,248 2,183 
			 Q20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 846 1,284 1,607 1,822 1,950 
			 Q21 South West Peninsula 1,303 1,392 1,585 1,597 1,607 
			 Q22 Dorset and Somerset 813 750 773 871 1,076 
			 Q23 South Yorkshire 1,061 1,213 1,391 1,566 1,502 
			 024 Trent 1,783 1,888 2,079 2,302 2,414 
			 Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 681 883 1,106 1,118 1,551 
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire 938 1,237 1,445 f,511 1351 
			 Q27 Birmingham and the Black Country 2,002 2,363 2,566 2,779 2,965 
			 Q28 Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire 882 1,322 1,295 1,566 1,533 
			 Y Not known 4,968 — — — — 
			  Total 40,729 41,610 45,811 51,203 55,353 
		
	
	
		
			  Count of finished admission episodes where the primary diagnosis was drug related**, by strategic health authority of treatment, 2001-02 to 2005-06 NHS Hospitals, England 
			Finished admission episodes 
			  SHA Code  SHA Description  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 3,932 3,709 4,375 4,020 4.664 
			 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 1,139 1,115 1,226 1,594 1,663 
			 Q03 Essex 1,289 1,277 1,606 2,100 2,241 
			 Q04 North West London 1,214 1,354 1,894 2,014 2,728 
			 Q05 North Central London 1,264 1,288 1,404 2,098 2,537 
			 Q06 North East London 1,705 1,970 2,535 2,345 2,833 
			 Q07 South East London 1,834 2,151 2,844 3,085 3,217 
			 Q08 South West London 1,201 1,277 1,478 2,219 2,327 
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 4,395 4,209 4,021 4,310 4,875 
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley 2,520 3,564 3,511 3,840 4,165 
			 Q11 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 3,765 3,521 3,413 3,317 3,521 
			 Q12 West Yorkshire 5,939 5,901 6,078 6,052 6,801 
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire 3,710 4,518 4,377 4,308 4,757 
			 Q14 Greater Manchester 3,339 4,237 5,904 7,387 8,614 
			 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside 5,515 5,347 6,221 6,252 7,154 
			 Q16 Thames Valley 3,057 2,858 3,371 3,646 3,540 
			 Q17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 3,698 3,692 3,678 3,633 4,234 
			 Q18 Kent and Medway 1,640 1,774 2,382 2,804 3,475 
			 Q19 Surrey and Sussex 1,752 2,911 3,404 3,920 4,992 
			 Q20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 2,273 3,064 3,847 5,349 5,995 
			 Q21 South West Peninsula 2,974 2,856 3,683 3,742 4,200 
			 Q22 Dorset and Somerset 1,783 1,563 1,550 1,872 2,249 
			 Q23 South Yorkshire 2,923 2,680 2,572 2,569 2,743 
			 Q24 Trent 5,285 4,799 4,850 5,243 5,274 
			 Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 1,812 1,674 2,159 2,620 3,703 
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire 2,539 2,534 2,918 2,723 2,780 
			 Q27 Birmingham and the Black Country 4,651 5,478 5,934 5,875 6,504 
			 Q28 Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire 2,468 2,403 2,516 2,933 3,748 
			 Y Not known 8,620 — — — — 
			  Total 88,286 83,704 93,751 101,928 115,534 
			  Notes:  Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number  of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  Diagnosis (Primary Diagnosis) The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.  Ungrossed Data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Data Quality Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. **Codes used as advised by data standards for drug related conditions, Connecting for Health: The ICD-10 code categories for mental and behavioural disorders due to psychoactive substance use (including acute intoxication or abuse) are as follows:  Source: Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES)f The Information Centre Health and Social Care F11.- Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of opioids F12.- Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of cannabinoids F13.- Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of sedatives or hypnotics F14.- Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of cocaine F15.- Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of other stimulants, including caffeine F16.- Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of hallucinogens F17.- Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of tobacco F18.- Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of volatile solvents F19.- Mental and behavioural disorders due to multiple drug use and use of other psychoactive substances The ICD-10 code categories for poisoning (either self-inflicted or accidental) are as follows: T36.- Poisoning by systemic antibodies T37.- Poisoning by other systemic anti-infectives and antiparasitics T38.- Poisoning by hormones and their synthetic substitutes and antagonists, not elsewhere classified T39.- Poisoning by nonopioid analgesics, antipyretics and anorheumatics T40.- Poisoning by narcotics and psychodysleptics [hallucinogens] T41.- Poisoning by anaesthetics and therapeutic gases T42.- Poisoning by antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic and antiparkinsonism drugs T43.- Poisoning by psychotropic drugs, not elsewhere classified T44.- Poisoning by drugs primarily affecting the autonomic nervous system T45.- Poisoning by primarily systemic and haematological agents, not elsewhere classified T46.- Poisoning by agents primarily affecting the cardiovascular system T47.- Poisoning by agents primarily affecting the gastrointestinal system T48.- Poisoning by agents primarily acting on smooth and skeletal muscles and the respiratory system T49.- Poisoning by topical agents primarily affecting skin and mucous membrane and by ophthalmotogical, otorhinolaryngological and dental drugs T50.- Poisoning by diuretics and other and unspecified drugs, medicaments and biological substances *Codes used as advised by data standards for alcohol related conditions, Connecting for Health: F10 - Mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol K70 - Alcoholic Live Disease T51 - Toxic Effect of Alcohol

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of a link between contract cleaning services and levels of hospital-acquired infections in hospitals; when the assessment was made; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Recent information suggests that there is currently no difference between in-house and out-sourced cleaning.
	We have also studied the link between cleanliness and healthcare associated infections (HCAI) as measured by  Metcillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and  Clostridium difficile rates. Again, we found no evidence of a relationship with out-sourcing.
	Current contract guidance makes it clear that quality must be considered alongside cost when deciding how to provide cleaning services.

Hyperactivity: Drugs

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were issued in each year since 1997-98.

Caroline Flint: We do not hold data on the total number of prescriptions for drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Information on the number of prescription items relating to drugs mainly associated with the treatment of ADHD and dispensed in the community in England is in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of prescription items (000) 
			 1997-98 197.6 
			 1998-99 227.5 
			 1999-2000 255.1 
			 2000-01 264.4 
			 2001-02 286.1 
			 2002-03 340.0 
			 2003-04 395.6 
			 2004-05 444.2 
			 2005-06 502.0 
			  Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system

In Vitro Fertilisation

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department gives to primary care trusts on the implementation of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines in relation to the number of IVF cycles that should be made available and funded through the NHS.

Caroline Flint: The primary responsibility for the provision of fertility services rests with the national health service at the local level. In welcoming the clinical guideline published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in 2004, we advised that the Department would be looking to primary care trusts (PCTs) who provide no in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment to provide a minimum national level of provision of one cycle of IVF by April 2005, and to make progress to the full implementation of the guideline in the longer term. We are funding the patient support organisation Infertility Network UK to help PCTs share best practice in the provision of fertility services and engage with fertility patients in the planning and prioritisation of services.

Insulin

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to submit a request to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to undertake a comparison of the different types of insulin in its future work programme.

Caroline Flint: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued technology appraisals of inhaled insulin, insulin pump therapy and long acting insulin analogues in the management of diabetes. NICE has also published a clinical guideline on the management of type 1 diabetes and a guideline on the management of type 2 diabetes—blood glucose. These guidelines include advice on the role of insulin in managing those conditions, NICE is currently reviewing its published clinical guidelines on type 2 diabetes and expects to publish a revised guideline in early 2008.
	We have no plans at this time to ask NICE to undertake a comparison of different types of insulin, but the need for further NICE guidance on aspects of the management of diabetes will be kept under review.

Local Government Targets

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets her Department sets for local authorities.

Ivan Lewis: "National Standards, Local Action; Health and Social Care Standards and Planning Framework 2005-06 to 2007-08", published in July 2004, set out a standard-based planning framework for health and social care and standards for national health service health care to be used in planning, commissioning and delivering services.
	The standards set out are focused on the provision of NHS health care, but recognise the need to develop services in a co-ordinated way, taking full account of the responsibilities of other agencies in providing comprehensive care. In particular the statutory duties of partnership on all NHS bodies and local authorities established under the Health Act 1999 and the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003. This introduced requirements on both the NHS and local authorities to work together to achieve the co-operation needed to bring about improvements in health care.
	The following specific targets for 2005 to 2008 were set for local authority social services and social services in partnership with the NHS:
	improve the quality of life and independence of vulnerable older people by supporting them to live in their own homes where possible by:
	increasing the proportion of older people being supported to live in their own home by 1 per cent. annually in 2007 and 2008; and
	increasing by 2008 the proportion of those supported intensively to live at home to 34 per cent. of the total of those being supported at home or in residential care.
	increase the participation of problem drug users in drug treatment programmes by 100 per cent. by 2008 (from a 1998 baseline); and increase year on year the proportion of users successfully sustaining or completing treatment programmes;
	and although measured through NHS indicators, social services provide a major contribution to
	improve health outcomes for people with long-term conditions by offering a personalised care plan for vulnerable people most at risk; and to reduce emergency bed days by 5 per cent. by 2008 (from the expected 2003-04 baseline), through improved care in primary care and community settings for people with long-term conditions.

Maternity Services

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many episodes of maternity care there were in  (a) consultant-led units with more than 3,000 live births per year,  (b) consultant-led units with fewer than 3,000 live births per year,  (c) midwife-led units in acute hospital settings and  (d) midwife-led units in community settings in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many deaths of women in the care of NHS maternity services there were in each of the last three years; and how many occurred in  (a) consultant-led units with more than 3,000 live births per year,  (b) consultant-led units with fewer than 3,000 live births per year,  (c) midwife-led units in acute hospital settings and  (d) midwife-led units in community settings.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 9 March 2007
	This information is not collected centrally in the form requested. Data from the Office of National Statistics shows that in 2002, the last year for which information is available, there were 596,122 live births, of which 582,569 took place in hospital, 12,684 took place at home and 869 took place elsewhere.
	Confidential enquiry into maternal and child health (CEMACH)'s report on maternal death for the three year period 2000 to 2002 showed that there were 106 direct maternal deaths in that period, representing 5.3 deaths per thousand of the two million births. It is not possible to break these figures down by place of delivery.

Medical Records: Databases

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many electronic patient records she expects there to be; and how many she expects to have  (a) sealed and  (b) sealed and locked data on them.

Caroline Flint: In the future, each person using the national health service will have an electronic NHS care record which will be made up of detailed care records, held locally by the NHS body that provides care to the patient, and a summary care record. At the local level detailed care records will be built up over time into a comprehensive health and care history.
	The objective of sealing, and sealing and locking information is to reduce the number of people who might otherwise feel the need to opt-out completely of having a summary care record because of their concern about only a small amount of sensitive information in their record. It will be open to any patient to ask to limit access to such information, including to request that specific sensitive information is accessible only with their consent. The sealed envelopes approach has the confidence of the professions in being able to provide appropriate controls for the support of patient confidentiality.
	It is not possible to predict with any certainty how many people may in future choose to exercise this option as this will be the first time such an approach has ever been used. However, there is ample evidence to suggest that only a small minority would have concerns about the content of their medical records that would lead to their choosing to seal information. In response to a Consumer Association Survey (October 2002) question on this subject 60 per cent. of respondents said that they would remove nothing, around a quarter (24 per cent.) said they would remove a little, and around four per cent, said they would remove "a lot" or "all".
	This is paralleled by the available evidence about the likelihood of people to opt out of having a summary care record at all. The Scottish emergency care summary, which extracts data from general practitioners' records and hospital notes, currently contains records for nearly 4.93 million patients and less than 500 have opted out. Similarly, in the course of a consultation on establishing an electronic health record in the Wirral, of patients invited to opt out if they had concerns, only 25 opted out whilst 350,000 records were uploaded. And of the 1.3 million patients likely to be affected by a similar proposal in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, only some 1,150 decided not to have their records included in the data repository.

Midwives: Training

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many training places there were for midwives in each health region in England in each of the last three years.

Rosie Winterton: This information has been placed in the Library.

Missing Persons

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 March 2007,  Official Report, column 428W, on missing persons, what bilateral contact her Department has had with other stakeholders represented on the missing persons strategic oversight group in the last two years; on what dates these contacts took place; and with whom they took place.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 20 March 2007
	Departmental officials have met with representatives of the police, the Home Office and the National Missing Persons Helpline a number of times over the past year. Most recently, officials met with representatives of the National Missing Persons Helpline on 22 November 2006. Details of other meetings are not centrally available.

MRSA

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library information she has on the incidence rates of MRSA in other  (a) EU and  (b) World Health Organisation member states; and what comparative assessment she has made of rates in those countries and in the UK.

Caroline Flint: The best European data are from the European antimicrobial resistance surveillance system (EARSS) database. This provides information only as a proportion of  Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections that are resistant to meticillin.
	A copy of the 2005 EARSS annual report has been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.rivm.nl/earss/Images/EARSS%202005_tcm61-34899.pdf
	It is difficult to compare different European countries as health services and surveillance systems differ. There is no overall trend but increases have been seen in some member states. However, our figures show that we need to reduce meticillin resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cases and tackling MRSA and other healthcare associated infections (HCAIs), continues to be a priority. We have introduced a number of interventions to help the national health service. Between April 2003 and March 2004 and October 2005 to September 2006, there has been a 10.2 per cent. reduction in the 12-month rolling total. This shows that our actions are having a significant effect.
	The World Health Organisation does not compile information on MRSA.

MRSA: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people contracted MRSA in hospitals in Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The information is not available as requested
	The best available information is from the mandatory methicillin resistant  Staphytococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections surveillance that began in April 2001 and covers acute trusts in England.
	The number of reported MRSA blood stream infections for national health service acute trusts within Lancashire is shown in the following table. The surveillance protocol requires all trusts to report MRSA positive blood cultures detected in their laboratories, whether acquired in the trust or elsewhere and these should include samples sent to the trust from other NHS run healthcare facilities. The cases recorded in the tables may not therefore have all been contracted in hospitals in Lancashire.
	
		
			  Number of reported blood stream infections (bacteraemias) 
			  Trust  April 2001-March 2002  April 2002-March 2003  April 2003-March 2004  April 2004-March 2005  April 2005-March 2006 
			 Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre 44 40 64 62 55 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals 57 66 63 69 53 
			 Lancashire Teaching Hospitals 76 58 56 74 54 
			 Southport and Ormskirk Hospital 4 11 10 13 14 
			 University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay 33 24 30 30 33 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency

Multiple Sclerosis: AIDS

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her Department's budget was for research into  (a) multiple sclerosis and  (b) AIDS in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		
			  Expenditure on multiple sclerosis research 
			  £ million 
			   Department  Medical Research Council 
			 1997-98 0.04 n/a 
			 1998-99 0.6 n/a 
			 1999-2000 0.5 n/a 
			 2000-01 0.5 1.5 
			 2001-02 0.6 2.1 
			 2002-03 0.1 1.8 
			 2003-04 0.1 1.1 
			 2004-05 0.1 1.4 
			 2005-06 0.8 n/a 
			 n/a = not available 
		
	
	
		
			  Expenditure on HIV/AIDS research 
			  £ million 
			   Department  Medical Research Council 
			 1997-98 1.1 n/a 
			 1998-99 1 n/a 
			 1999-2000 1 13 
			 2000-01 1.3 15 
			 2001-02 0.8 14 
			 2002-03 1 11 
			 2003-04 1 11 
			 2004-05 1 11 
			 2005-06 1 n/a 
			 n/a = not available 
		
	
	The departmental figures relate to national research programme expenditure. They do not include expenditure in the areas of human health concerned from the research and development allocations made annually to national health service providers. That information is not held centrally.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support biomedical research. The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Innovation.

NHS: Drugs

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many medicines were reclassified from prescription-only status to over-the-counter status in each year since 2002-03; and whether it remains her policy to aim for 10 such reclassifications to take place in any given year.

Caroline Flint: The NHS plan committed the Government to making more medicines available over-the-counter, where it is safe to do so. In response, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) implemented a new streamlined reclassification procedure in April 2002 and took forward an agenda on switching to encompass not just acute, short term, self limiting conditions but to new areas of chronic disease management.
	Over-the-counter medicines include both those supplied by a pharmacist and those on general sale (GSL) available through outlets such as supermarkets. The number of marketing authorisations where the legal status has been changed from POM (prescription-only medicine) to pharmacy or from pharmacy to GSL for each complete year since 2002-03 is presented in the following table. It is noted there may be more than one new switch application for the same substance. Also many applications follow on from the initial change of legal status of the medicine.
	
		
			   POM to pharmacy  Pharmacy toGSL  Total 
			 2002-03 2 7 9 
			 2003-04 5 12 17 
			 2004-05 2 9 11 
			 2005-06 3 6 9 
		
	
	Recent significant switches into new therapeutic areas include the first statin (simvastatin) to reduce risk of heart disease, a triptan (sumatriptan) for migraine, and an eye drop treatment (chloramphenicol) for infection. A consultation to extend reclassification to the eye ointment has also completed, and there is progress with new consultations into further therapeutic areas.
	In February 2007, the MHRA led an important initiative to move forward the debate on widening access to medicines for women's health. A seminar supported by stakeholders and experts in the field of women's health explored the benefits and challenges associated with switches in this area. An important consultation on the reclassification of tranexamic acid for treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding was announced at this meeting.
	It remains Government policy to promote widening the availability of medicines within the patient choice agenda, recognising the challenges ahead with moves into new areas, and the aim for such classifications to take place each year is reflected within the MHRA business plan.

NHS: Drugs

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) drugs and  (b) treatments are not available on NHS prescriptions in England that are available in other parts of the UK.

Caroline Flint: English general practitioners are able to prescribe any drug/treatment on the national health service unless it is listed in Schedules 1 or 2 to the national health service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Prescription of Drugs etc.) Regulations 2004.
	These lists are replicated in Parts XVIIIA and XVIIIB of the drug tariff, copies of which are available in the Library.
	Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have similar arrangements backed up by their own legislation. A detailed comparison of the content of the respective lists could be possible only at disproportionate cost.
	When a patient is being treated in hospital a consultant can arrange for the supply of any drug or other substance, even one not normally available on NHS prescription, provided the primary care trust or NHS trust: agree to supply it at NHS expense.

NHS: ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statutory responsibilities  (a) she and  (b) the NHS Director of IT has in the sale of (i) any NHS IT supplier and (ii) iSoft.

Caroline Flint: There are no specific statutory responsibilities attaching to the role of Director General for National Health Service Information Technology (NHS IT). Those of my right hon. Friend do not extend to the sale of commercial information technology companies.
	However, contracts let under the national programme for IT, for which the Director General for NHS IT is responsible within the Department, contain contractual rights covering, for example, adverse changes in control which allow the NHS to refuse to continue to use those services if the purchaser of an existing NHS IT supplier were deemed inappropriate.
	Through the national programme contract with its local service provider CSC, these provisions also apply in respect of iSoft as a subcontractor to CSC. The position of iSoft is being monitored both directly and in concert with CSC.
	These provisions represent a considerable improvement on historic contracting arrangements for protecting the interests of the NHS in its procurement of IT goods and services.

NHS: ICT

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which clinical specialists have been removed on a temporary basis as options on the Choose and Book IT system for general practitioners in Bedfordshire in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not held centrally.

NHS: ICT

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her statement whether her Department has had to revise any of the  (a) costs incurred and  (b) total expected contract cost over five years of the choose and book computer systems referred to in the answer of 8 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 63-64W, on the choose and book system.

Caroline Flint: The expected core contract costs have not changed, and no revision has been required. The total of costs incurred naturally increases over time as the choose and book system continues to be rolled out across the national health service. As at the end of January 2007,these were £34.6 million for core contract system development and related service charges. A further £39.7 million has been spent on the additional services and additional functionality that the original choose and book business case envisaged were likely to be required as the system is rolled out.

NHS: ICT

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when the national programme for IT in the NHS will be launched;
	(2)  what projection she has made of the total implementation cost of the national programme for IT in the NHS.

Caroline Flint: The first elements of the national health service care records service, to provide a transaction messaging service, a personal demographics service, a spine directory service and secure access controls via smartcards, went live on time and to budget in July 2004. Since then very substantial progress has been, and continues to be, made and the NHS is already effectively dependent on systems and services delivered through the national programme for the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Over 38 million patients can now benefit from Choose and Book, and over 2.7 million bookings have been made to date, with daily bookings now exceeding 18,000. Over 13.5 million prescription messages have been issued electronically, with the daily count exceeding 100,000. 73 picture archiving and communications systems have been implemented, and around 160,000 patients are treated each week using the technology. Through the new national broadband network (N3), 98 per cent. of general practitioners practices now have a broadband connection. NHS mail currently has over 230,000 registered users, each with an email address for life, sending a million e-mails per day.
	The national programme is being delivered by the Department's NHS Connecting for Health agency. The value of contracts let for the core components of the programme amounts to £6.2 billion over 10 years. The National Audit Office have calculated that the full gross cost of the programme including national contracts and legitimately approved additions, other central expenditure, and local implementation costs is some £12.4 billion at 2004-05 prices. However, this figure does not take into account anticipated savings in the price paid by the NHS for information technology goods and services due to the central buying power of NHS Connecting for Health, or in NHS staff time saved through using the programme's systems and services. The National Audit Office also acknowledge an independent evaluation that confirms that £4.5 billion has been saved by central rather than local procurement, and also acknowledges a further £860 million of savings achieved through centrally negotiated enterprise wide arrangements.

NHS: ICT

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts have bought new computer services outside the NHS national programme for IT during the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The information is not collected centrally. In addition to the clinical systems and services being delivered under the national programme for information technology, national health service organisations have always been responsible locally for meeting their wider information technology (IT) needs, including for non-clinical services such as human resources and finance IT systems.
	Systems deployed under the national programme are, however, already in place in every NHS trust, supporting access to care when and where it is convenient, reducing the numbers of failed appointments, improving the accuracy and handling of prescriptions and facilitating the capture, storage and transmission of X-rays and digital images so they are available to clinicians when and where needed. In addition, over 16,000 local systems, with well over 300,000 users, have now been delivered across the NHS by the programme's five local service providers supporting accident and emergency units, hospital theatres, mental health and pathology services, and many others.

NHS: ICT

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the costs of  (a) the Personal Demographic Service,  (b) the Personal Spine Information Service,  (c) the Transaction Messaging Service,  (d) the Secondary Uses Services,  (e) the Clinical Spine Application,  (f) the Spine Directory Service and  (g) the access control framework; and what the projected costs are in each year until implementation is complete for each.

Caroline Flint: The spine is the colloquial name given to the national database of key information about patients' health and care. It forms the core of the national health service care records service (NHS CRS). It also supports other key elements of the national programme for information technology, such as choose and book, the electronic prescriptions service (EPS), and 'GP to GP' record transfer, each of them using the spine's messaging capabilities as part of their own services.
	The contract to set up and operate the spine under the national programme for information technology in the national health service is held by BT. Accounting information does not separately identify costs incurred in respect of the individual spine applications, and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Up to 31 December 2006 total expenditure under the contract amounted to £310.7 million, made up of £232.8 million in set-up costs, and £77.9 million in revenue costs. Set-up (capital) costs are incurred in phases as functionality is added to the spine through staged software releases over the implementation period. The ongoing service (revenue) costs average around £45 million a year, although this will fall in a range between £30-60 million in any particular year. These sums are in line with the contracted value of the work concerned, which is some £620 million over nine years.
	On a typical working day the spine database is accessed by around 50,000 authenticated unique users, and processes; approximately 1.3 million personal demographic service queries, 16,000 choose and book bookings, and over 100,000 electronic prescription messages.
	Growth in these volumes is rising dramatically with the increase in functionality across the NHS CRS and continuing roll out of the various elements of the system. The spine is already the world's biggest structured healthcare messaging system whose cost represents an investment of no more than about one pound per NHS patient per year over the life of the contract.

NHS: ICT

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the compatibility of the new NHS IT system with hospitals' present IT systems.

Caroline Flint: Existing national health service information technology (IT) systems and databases are typically incompatible with each other. They have frequently been designed around the specific requirements of individual NHS organisations, and therefore do not support the transfer of information, sometimes even within a single trust, or elsewhere in the NHS. These shortcomings can result in clinical decisions taken on the basis of incomplete or inaccurate information leading to suboptimal quality of care, avoidable inconvenience to patients and doctors, and additional administrative costs.
	By contrast, the defining characteristic of the national programme for IT is provision of fully integrated systems that are interoperable, and ensure transmissibility of patient data across organisational boundaries. The national infrastructure will also speed up and make more certain the processes of identifying and contacting patients. This is becoming increasingly important as care becomes de-centralised from hospitals and takes place closer to, and in, patients' homes.
	More than 50 existing systems from a range of care settings—general practice, acute hospitals, independent sector providers, and community pharmacies—have already been accredited to interact with national programme services such as choose and book, the electronic prescription service, the secondary uses service, and the general practice electronic records transfer system. The necessary development and upgrading of these existing systems has been coordinated by the existing systems programme of the Department's NHS Connecting for Health Agency.

NHS: ICT

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of how long it will take hospitals to transfer all information from their present IT systems onto the new NHS IT system.

Caroline Flint: Deployment of new hospital systems under the national programme for information technology involves several key stages between initial preparation for implementation through to go live, during which a number of important organisational and technical activities have to be completed, including planning, training, testing and clinical safety assessments. All the stages in the run-up to completion of go live involve some transfer of data from legacy systems to local service provider systems, though legacy systems remain live and in service until the process is complete. These arrangements are quite typical of major information technology systems deployments in both the public and private sectors.
	The process will normally take several weeks, involving anything between 0.5 million and up to 10 million records. The time scale in each particular case is dependent on a number of factors, largely to do with the size of the trust and any complexities identified during data migration. These might include difficulties in collating data from legacy systems, or the need to incorporate specific local requirements late in the process of implementation.
	Systems deployed under the national programme are now in place in every acute trust, and in some 98 per cent. of general practices. Almost 17,000 systems have now been delivered with around 330,000 national health service users. New systems are supplied every week to support one or more of patient administration, theatre management, accident and emergency and mental health unit, ambulance services, pathology services, and many more.

NHS: ICT

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of their budget each hospital is expected to spend implementing the new NHS IT system; and what assessment has been made of the impact of implementing the new NHS IT system on hospital budgets.

Caroline Flint: There is no specific numerical target for year-on-year spending by national health service organisations on local implementation of the national programme for information technology. Each NHS organisation is free, and expected, to use its resources in the way that delivers the best possible value for money. However, evidence from the Department's most recent (2006) survey of investment in information management and technology in the NHS shows that the combined total of current and predicted future local NHS and central spending reflects significant progress towards the level anticipated in the 2002 Wanless Report "Securing our Future Health" as being necessary to deliver the breadth and quality of healthcare services envisaged in the report. Detailed information from the 2006 survey is available in the Library.
	Any costs associated with implementation of the national programme locally are very significantly outweighed by the savings accrued from participation in the programme. Most notably, an independent industry analysis has concluded that some £4.5 billion has been saved by aggregate central procurement rather than local procurement, a figure confirmed by independent industry analysts. In addition, savings have been achieved in the prices paid by the NHS for information technology goods and services due to the central buying power of NHS Connecting for Health, as well as in NHS staff time saved through using the programme's systems and services. The National Audit Office have acknowledged savings of £860 million achieved through centrally-negotiated enterprise wide arrangements.
	The national programme was not mentioned among a list of possible factors contributing to NHS deficits in 2004-05 in the June 2006 joint National Audit Office/Audit Commission report on financial management in the NHS.

NHS: ICT

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment has been made of alternatives to a central database for storing patient records;
	(2)  whether an assessment has been carried out of  (a) the implications and cost of removing the NHS spine system and  (b) the impact of doing so on existing (i) patient care and (ii) patient records.

Caroline Flint: The alternative to a central database for patient records has existed and continues to exist in the status quo prior to the inception of the national programme for information technology. It is characterised by information technology (IT) that does not support the transfer of information between systems, encourages the creation of multiple records for the same patient within a single organisation, tolerates the loss and delay of records during their slow transit by hand, the unavailability of key information when needed, and the compromise of security and confidentiality of patient data. These shortcomings regularly result in clinical decisions taken on the basis of incomplete or inaccurate information, suboptimal quality of care, avoidable inconvenience to patients and doctors, and additional administrative costs.
	Running the national health service on that basis would have an enormous negative impact on both the quality and cost of care including medication errors; patient procedures being cancelled due to lost X-ray films; out-patient appointments not being kept because patients have little or no say over their date and time; and, because records cannot be located, countless patients being subjected to unnecessary repeat diagnostic procedures, and hundreds of millions of pounds a year to be wasted on uncontested clinical negligence claims.
	As for costs, as a result of the national programme some £4.5 billion has been saved by aggregate central procurement of systems rather than local procurement, and a further £860 million of savings achieved through centrally negotiated enterprise-wide arrangements. Before the national programme, money was devolved locally for investment against agreed national targets for electronic health records systems, an arrangement which both the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee have severely criticised because the money was often not spent as intended, but diverted to meet other NHS priorities.
	The national programme, with the spine database at its core, is not just about IT. It is a transformation programme for the NHS that will underpin system reform. Only a ubiquitous, effective, national IT system of the kind it is putting in place across the NHS can deliver key reforms such as patient choice, the 18-week referral to treatment patient pathway, whilst at the same time retaining flexibility to adapt to, and adopt, future policy.

NHS: Negligence

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many claims for clinical negligence there were against the NHS in each year since 1995; and what percentage of these claims were successful in each year;
	(2)  what the total cost to the NHS was of successful claims for clinical negligence in each year since 1995-96 in  (a) nominal and  (b) real terms.

Andy Burnham: The following table shows how many claims there have been under the clinical negligence scheme for trusts (CNST) in each year since 1995, what percentage were successful , and the amounts paid out to date in nominal and real terms. The year is based upon the year that the incident was reported to have occurred.
	
		
			  Number of CNST claims received (including Category A( 1)  claims) by incident year as at February 2007 
			  Incident year( 2)  Yet to settle  Settle— nil damages  Settled with damages  Total  Percentage successful claims of all claims  Total paid on successful claims  Total paid on successful claims in real terms with 2005-06 as reference year( 3) 
			 1995-96 189 3,513 2,354 6,056 38.87 303,925,180 390,137,840 
			 1996-97 196 3,315 2,447 5,958 41.07 290,583,088 360,865,194 
			 1997-98 222 3,367 2,510 6,099 41.15 269,576,245 325,315,866 
			 1998-99 273 3,269 2,654 6,196 42.83 282,962,080 333,006,260 
			 1999-2000 268 2,806 2,548 5,622 45.32 239,956,313 276,798,146 
			 2000-01 362 2,619 2,534 5,515 45.95 195,415,698 222,293,164 
			 2001-02 543 2,234 2,292 5,069 45.22 152,868,563 169,861,508 
			 2002-03 1,163 1,996 2,061 5,220 39.48 80,105,894 86,339,614 
			 2003-04 1,843 1,413. 1,335 4,591 29.08 31,442,285 32,910,418 
			 2004-05 1,405 895 746 3,046 24.49 12,249,695 12,478,171 
			 2005-06 1,139 334 348 1,821 19.11 2,466,565 2,466,565 
			 2006-07 297 22 33 352 9.38 120,580 117,429 
			 Total 7,900 25,783 21,862 55,545 39.36 1,861,672,185 2,212,590,175 
			 (1) Category A claims are those that fell within the excess claim limit and were handled by individual trusts before the excess was removed in 2002. (2) Claims have been considered in the year that the incident occurred Additional points to note: Claims may still be made for incidents that have yet to be reported within the stated years. Successful claims are those claims that have been settled with damages, including claims which are still open due to legal costs being unresolved or where periodic payments are being made. This means that the costs for those claims will rise over time and therefore the figure will increase. Category A claims were handled by individual trusts and reported to the NHS Litigation Authority. Therefore, the NHS Litigation Authority cannot 100 per cent. validate the accuracy of the data around these claims as the data were not: produced by the NHS Litigation Authority. (3) Real terms calculated using the deflator series provided by HMT on 21 December 2006.

NHS: Pay

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what average pay per head of NHS staff in England was in each year since 1997; and what the average paybill per head was for each NHS organisation in England in the latest year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The information has been placed in the Library.
	Table 1 shows average paybill per full-time equivalent and average earnings per full-time equivalent for national health service staff in England between 1996-97 and 2005-06. Tables 2a to 2c show average paybill per full-time equivalent by NHS organisation in 2005-06.

NHS: Pensions

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated total staff pensions liability is of the NHS Pensions Agency.

Caroline Flint: Total long-term liabilities of the NHS pension scheme accrued to date, and projected until the death of the last current contributing, deferred and pensioner members, were estimated at £165.4 billion pounds in the resource accounts for 2005-06, spread over approximately 80 years. Gross expenditure on benefits in 2005-06, met through scheme employer and member contributions was £3.78 billion.

Nitrous Oxide

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prosecutions there have been since 1977 under section 52 of the Medicines Act 1968 for the sale of nitrous oxide; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency reports that since 1995 there has been one prosecution involving the sale of nitrous oxide.
	There are no records held prior to this date.

Nitrous Oxide

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the availability of nitrous oxide for recreational use in nightclubs and bars; and what assessment she has made of the health effects of inhalation of nitrous oxide.

Caroline Flint: Inhaling nitrous oxide produces a rush caused by oxygen starvation which may result in unconsciousness. There are also thought to be long term effects on the nervous system. All of these risks are likely to be exacerbated if the drug is combined with alcohol or other narcotics. The risks are particularly severe for pregnant women.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been alerted to increasing reports that nitrous oxide is available for sale in pubs and nightclubs. A number of reports have come from Trading Standards departments within local councils. Local authorities are responsible for the licensing of premises in the pub and nightclub sector.
	Officials from MHRA have met with representatives from Local Authority Co-ordinator of Regulatory Services and Trading Standards (LACORS) to discuss the extent of the problem and to explore ways of tackling it. A strategy has been agreed involving joint action by MHRA and Trading Standards.
	MHRA is also contacting manufacturers of nitrous oxide and investigating how supplies come to enter the recreational market.

Nutrition

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to revise the nutrient profiling model used by the Food Standards Agency.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency will review impact of agency nutrient profiling model after one year of use. The review process will include a consultative stage.

Obesity: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in Lancashire under the age of 12 years were classified as  (a) obese and  (b) overweight in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The information is not available in the format requested. Data on obesity and overweight prevalence by Government office region (GOR) are available from the Health Survey for England (HSE). However, due to small sample sizes in each year, data cannot be provided for each of the last five years. The most recent available information which can be provided by GOR combines information from the 2002, 2003 and 2004 HSE to achieve a sufficiently large sample for analysis at this level.
	
		
			  Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children in the North West Government office region (GOR), by age, 2002-04 
			  Percentage/number 
			   Overweight including obese  Obese 
			 Aged 2-10 27.2 14.4 
			 Aged 11-15 35.6 20.8 
			 Aged 2-15 30.4 16.8 
			
			  Bases (unweighted)   
			 Aged 2-10 891 891 
			 Aged 11-15 584 584 
			 Aged 2-15 1,475 1,475 
			
			  Bases (weighted for selection only)   
			 Aged 2-10 1,021 1,021 
			 Aged 11-15 634 634 
			 Aged 2-15 1,655 1,655 
			 1. Data are aggregated over the three years, 2002, 2003 and 2004 to achieve a sufficiently large sample for analyse at this level. 2. Unweighted figures are raw unadjusted figures. 3. Weighted figures are adjusted for child selection only and not non-response.  Sources: Health Survey for England 2002. The Department of Health Health Survey for England 2003. The Department of Health Health Survey for England 2004. The Information Centre

Patients: Databases

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the security implications of housing patient data in a central database.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith) on 13 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1178W.

Patients: Databases

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which  (a) Government agencies and  (b) other public bodies will have access to a centrally held NHS patient database;
	(2)  what arrangements are being put in place to ensure that patients have access to their records for the purpose of allowing mistakes to be discovered and corrected.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone) on 29 November 2006,  Official Report, column 799W.

Patients: Databases

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are in place to allow patients to opt-out of the centrally held NHS database; and what the conditions for opt-out are.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien) on 14 March 2007,  Official Report, column 441W.

Plastic Surgery

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to regulate the use of dermal fillers.

Caroline Flint: Most dermal fillers used in the United Kingdom are regulated as medical devices under the Medical Devices Regulations 2002, as amended. CE-marking of a product under the Medical Devices Directive denotes that the risks are outweighed by the benefits expected from its use for the medical purpose intended by the manufacturer.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish the findings of her Department's review of prescription charges; who is undertaking the review; whether third-party organisations are contributing to the review; whether she plans to consult on the results of the review; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Government said in its response to the Health Select Committee's Report on national health service charges, that the Department would undertake a review of the current exemptions for prescription charges and put forward options that would be expenditure neutral for the NHS. We have undertaken to report the outcome of the review to Parliament before the summer recess 2007.
	The Department welcomes comments on possible options for changing the current prescription charge arrangements from all organisations that wish to make representations. We will consider the next steps once the outcome of the review has been submitted to Parliament.

Smoking: Housing

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Smoke Free (Exemptions and Vehicles) Regulations 2007 will apply to privately owned houses  (a) when they are being used for public purposes and  (b) when in private use.

Caroline Flint: Where a privately owned house is used as a private dwelling, regulation three will exempt the dwelling from the smoke-free provisions of the Health Act, except any part of it which is shared or used exclusively for work in the circumstances set out in that regulation.
	However, regulation three needs to be considered in the context of Section 2 of the Health Act 2006. That section requires only public and work places to be smoke-free and it provides that where public places are not also work places, they are only required to be smoke-free when they are open to the public. Work in this context includes voluntary work.

Sunitinib

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the licensed drug Sunitinib is available on NHS prescription.

Caroline Flint: Sunitinib (sutent) is licensed for use in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma and gastrointestinal stomal tumour and is available on national health service prescription.
	The Department is currently considering referring Sunitinib to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for appraisal. Guidance issued by the Department makes it clear that it is not acceptable for NHS organisations to refuse to fund a treatment simply because if has not been appraised by NICE.